Stepfather arrested for the 2002 disappearance of Jahi Turner

Updated
Bombshell arrest in Jahi Turner disappearance
Bombshell arrest in Jahi Turner disappearance

After 14 years, an arrest has finally been made in connection with the disappearance of 2-year-old Jahi Turner.

The boy's stepfather, Tieray Jones, who originally reported him missing in 2002, is set to face charges including murder and felony child abuse causing death.

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More than a decade ago the community rallied behind the boy's family after his disappearance, making it one of the most high-profile cases San Deigo had ever seen.

On April 25, 2002, Jones phoned police claiming he had been with his stepson at Golden Hill Park when he walked away for 15 minutes to get a soda. It was in this time period, he claimed, that the boy went missing.

After none of Jones' fingerprints could be found from the playground equipment, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and her team widened their search, scouring multiple leads over the years -- all of which went cold.

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The boy's mother, Tameka Jones, was deployed on a Navy ship at the time of Jahi's disappearance.

No information has been released as to what new development's led police to arrest Jones, who officers found residing in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Police Chief Zimmerman stated, "From that first call, I never lost hope we would either find Jahi alive or bring his killer to justice."

Jones will be arraigned Tuesday in North Carolina, however he will be "returned to San Diego within 30 to 90 days, depending on whether he chooses to fight extradition."

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