Missing Florida mother and her four children all found dead, sheriff says

A Florida man allegedly killed his wife and their four children and then stored the bodies at his home and in his van for several weeks before taking their remains to Georgia, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.

Casei Jones, 32, and her children, who range in age from 1 to 10, were last seen about six weeks ago in the Ocala, Florida, area, the sheriff’s office said. Her family reported them missing Saturday night, police said.

Detectives identified Jones’ husband, Michael Wayne Jones Jr., 38, as a suspect. On Sunday, Michael Jones crashed his van near Brantley County in southeast Georgia, about 150 miles north of Jones’ last known Florida address.

Deputies “smelled a foul odor” coming from Michael Jones’ van, according to a Brantley County Sheriff’s Office press release.

“You may want to put me in handcuffs,” Jones told deputies, the release says, indicating there was a body in the vehicle.

Casei Jones’ body was found in her husband’s van, according to a Marion County press release.

Michael Jones later led Georgia Bureau of Investigations agents to Charlton County, where the remains of his four children were apparently found, officials said.

Jones was arrested by Brantley County authorities on charges of driving with a suspended/revoked license, weaving over a roadway and being a fugitive of justice.

Marion County officials said a warrant for second-degree murder charges has been issued for Jones’ arrest. More charges may come, officials said.

“True evil poked its head up here in Marion County,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “That’s about the only best way to describe it.”