Man waits 21 years before telling police where he buried his girlfriend, AL cops say
After not hearing from her mother in a while, her daughter reported her missing in 2002. For decades, no one knew what happened to her — until now.
On March 27, Brian E. Jones, from South Carolina, told police officers he killed 41-year-old Janet Luxford, his girlfriend at the time, in 2001 and led authorities to her remains in Bessemer, Alabama, about 14 miles southwest of Birmingham, according to the Bessemer Police Department.
More than 20 years after the woman’s disappearance, Jones took a bus from South Carolina to Alabama and called police to confess to Luxford’s killing, police told McClatchy News on April 28.
Police said Jones told officers he had information on an homicide case, which they assumed was a case they were currently working on. Officers were surprised when he told them the crime happened in 2001, according to authorities.
Police said Jones was “straightforward” with his information and adamant about leading officers to the location of the woman’s remains. Jones said he wanted her to have a “proper burial,” according to police.
During the investigation, officers said they discovered Luxford was considered missing and endangered and was last seen with a man named Brian.
On March 28, Jones led officers to where he said he left Luxford’s body, and within hours, investigators found human remains, according to authorities.
Officers said the remains were in a garment bag a little larger than a suitcase.
As of April 28, authorities were not able to locate dental records necessary to identify the remains and confirm they belong to Luxford. Police said Jones was charged with Luxford’s murder and abuse of a corpse.
Since more than 20 years have passed, police said DNA needs to be extracted from the bones that were found to identify the remains. The process can take up to nine months. Luxford’s family members have been notified and provided DNA samples to help obtain a potential match.
In the meantime, officers are looking for dental records in Virginia and Florida, where the woman also lived. Dental records would help make the identification process faster, police said.
Officers said Luxford and Jones met in Jacksonville, Florida, where the woman worked as a maid at a hotel where Jones stayed. They then moved to Alabama.
Jones told police the crime happened during a fight and said it was an accident, according to authorities.
The man is being held on a $765,000 bond, authorities said.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Man waits 21 years before telling police where he buried his girlfriend, AL cops say."
