MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A man charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife and suspected in the death of her four children was returned Wednesday from Georgia to Florida, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
Michael Jones Jr., 38, was booked about 12:15 p.m. into the Marion County jail, according to online jail records. His first appearance will be Thursday morning, the Sheriff's Office said.
MICHAEL JONES, HOMICIDE SUSPECT BACK IN MARION COUNTY Michael Jones, who is charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of Casei Jones and a suspect in the death of her four children, is on his way to be booked in the Marion County Jail.
Posted by Marion County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, September 18, 2019
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Marion County authorities had confirmed Tuesday to WKMG-TV that they were going to Georgia to pick up Michael Jones, who appeared Monday in Brantley County Magistrate Court and waived extradition back to Marion County, where he and his wife, 32-year-old Casei Jones, lived and authorities believe the family members were killed.
Casei Jones was found dead in her husband's van after it was involved in a crash on U.S. 301 in Brantley County, Georgia, about 7 p.m. Sunday. Statements made by her husband led to the discovery of the bodies believed to be the couple's four children in the woods in nearby Charlton County.
Investigators suspect Casei Jones and her children were killed at their Summerfield home and their bodies were then kept inside the residence and the family's van for several weeks before her husband drove them up to Georgia, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Michael Jones (pictured in a Marion County Sheriff's Office booking photo) is charged with second-degree murder in the case, though additional charges are anticipated. He was taken into custody following Sunday's crash after a deputy working the scene picked up on a "foul odor" coming from the vehicle.
Investigators began searching for Casei Jones and the couple's children -- Cameron, 10; Preston, 5; Mercalli, 2; and Aiyana, 1 -- on Saturday after family members reported them missing, authorities said. Loved ones said they hadn't been seen in six weeks.
Autopsies will be conducted Wednesday to determine how Casei Jones and her four children died. The Sheriff's Office said it will be a lengthy process.