FARMINGTON, Mo. – A missing Missouri teen has been found dead. Mikayla Jones, 18, was last seen alive by her family at their home in Farmington on May 3rd.
Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said there are three suspects in the case, 2 men and a woman. They were allegedly the last people to see Mikayla Jones alive.
The sheriff said he’s angry and hopes charges are filed against the three in the next few days.
“Well, we’re all pretty tore up, we just have to trust God to bring us through it,” Floyd Stewart, Mikayla’s grandfather said.
Mikayla’s body was found near Highway M in a wooded area about 30 feet off the side of the road.
“We believe it was an overdose and they improperly disposed of her body,” Jacobsen said.
At this point there is no cause of death, they are awaiting toxicology results.
Jacobsen said the two men and one woman who were allegedly with Mikayla could have followed a fairly new law, the Good Samaritan Law, then things would be much different. He said Mikayla may still be alive and the three would not be undergoing an interrogation by detectives.
Jacobsen added, “These people could have called 911 and done the human thing and got her help and if it was beyond help the family would have immediate closure. But they didn’t call 911 they didn’t call anybody they acted like cowards and dumped her body on the side of the road.”
A call to 9-1-1 would have kept anyone with Mikayla out of trouble, “If they just called for help they’d be fine by now,” Jacobsen said.
Instead of being in the clear, the sheriff wants to file charges against the three.
“Abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, will be her body and her cell phone,e and also were also looking for hindering a prosecution because they lied,” Jacobsen said
Her mother released a statement to thank the community for acting like an extended family to find Mikayla.
“Our lives have changed forever. As a parent, there is no way to prepare for the unbearable feeling that comes with a tragedy like this. But, comfort can be found knowing that I will see my daughter again. I’m humbly appreciative of the unity the community has shown to group together and work cohesively as a large extended family with one goal in mind, to find Mikayla. A sincere thank you to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department for their tireless efforts, and to the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from friends and strangers alike.
At this time we do not understand the reasoning a tragedy like this has found our family, but we are thankful that our Lord gives us the strength to endure. Mikayla has clearly touched the lives of many, and she will always be remembered and honored as the beacon that lights up the room.
-Stacie Jones”
Statement from Stacie Jones
“I want justice to be done, find out what happened and they need to be punished evil you know,” Mikayla’s grandfather said.
“It’s easy to come to work everyday. It’s not easy to tell a mom or dad that their loved ones not coming home because of a dumb decision by stupid people when laws were written to protect the same people,” Jacobsen said.
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