Pathologist described Jones children’s autopsies

Mark Bellune
Posted 5/23/19

Evidence in court revealed a wound on a 6-year-old Red Bank boy’s leg was consistent to a saw’s teeth.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Janice Ross of Newberry Pathology Associates performed …

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Pathologist described Jones children’s autopsies

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Evidence in court revealed a wound on a 6-year-old Red Bank boy’s leg was consistent to a saw’s teeth.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Janice Ross of Newberry Pathology Associates performed autopsies on 5 children slain in their Red Bank home in 2014.

She said it appeared a hand saw was used near the knee joint of 6-year-old Nahtahn Jones inflicting a wound down to the bone.

Ross testified she has performed more than 14,000 autopsies during her career.

Ross said the bodies were transported to South Carolina in the black plastic trash bags in which they were found when dumped in rural Alabama in 2014.

Their father, Tim Jones Jr., is charged in their killings and faces the death penalty if found guilty and sane during trial in Lexington.

Decomposition was massive after their bodies were left in the hot sun in the black trash bags, she said.

7-year-old Elias Jones’ body had also been partially eaten by animals when the plastic bag was ripped.

The damage exposed hand, wrist and neck bones. Maggots were also found.

Elias had a broken hyoid bone in his neck consistent with strangulation.

She said he was strangled and ruled it a homicide.

8-year-old Merah’s body was found unclothed in a sleeping bag wrapped in 4 plastic bags. There was “some tissue loss and maggot activity,” Ross said.

Her left hand was missing.

Ross said the cause of death was “homicidal violence” and manner of death was homicide.

2-year-old Gabriel was found wrapped in a comforter and a pink sheet in his underwear all inside 3 untorn black plastic bags.

Gabriel’s body had the impression of 2 parallel lines under his ear and a ligature mark “a little bit wide like a belt,” Ross testified.

His right leg knee joint was separated.

She said he was “probably” strangled and ruled the manner of death as homicide.

She said 1-year-old Abigail was found wearing a diaper and wrapped in 2 black plastic bags.

She ruled cause of death by homicidal violence and manner of death homicide.

6-year-old Nahtahn’s body was found in 2 black plastic bags with a Ninja Turtles comforter. There was “tissue loss on the left lower thigh” and a wound “consistent with being made with a saw” by the left knee.

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