A teen was feared kidnapped by a 33-year-old man. Now she’s accused of killing his mom

When an Ohio teenager went lacking early this 12 months, many feared she had been kidnapped by her a lot older fugitive boyfriend.

Kaitlyn Coones, 17, who had a historical past of working away from dwelling, was dwelling in a foster group dwelling in Canton, Ohio, in April when she disappeared, sparking a slew of lacking individual posts on social media.

A nationwide manhunt was launched for {the teenager} who was believed to be with Jonathan Jones, a 33-year-old man who was wished on baby endangerment expenses.

In Might, there was a sigh of reduction when the pair had been discovered on the Mexico border.

However the case took an surprising flip when Ms Coones, as soon as feared to have been at risk, was taken into custody and charged with homicide.

She was accused of giving Mr Jones a deadline of 5 hours to homicide his personal mom, Nicole Jones, 53, as a result of she felt the lady was interfering with their so-called relationship, prosecutors say.

However when Mr Jones allegedly failed to hold out the murderous plot, Ms Coones determined to homicide the lady herself, prosecutors declare.

Right here’s every part we all know in regards to the case thus far:

The Ultimatum

After Kaitlyn Coones disappeared from the group dwelling on 18 April, she was reportedly picked up at a close-by restaurant by Jonathan Jones, who took her again to the house he shared along with his mom.

{The teenager} needed to crawl by way of a window so his mom wouldn’t know she was there.

Prosecutors allege Ms Coones wished Mr Jones to do away with his mom as a result of she felt the lady was interfering of their “relationship.” He supposedly had a deadline of 5 hours to hold out the homicide plot.

“Kaitlyn had advised Jonathan, that they wanted to do one thing about his mom as a result of she was stopping them from being collectively and she or he gave him 5 hours to do one thing about her, and at one level within the interview, she even talked about killing her,” Detective Jake Albright with Sylvania Township Police mentioned in court docket on Friday.

However when Mr Jones didn’t do it, Ms Coones allegedly gave him an additional hour earlier than taking issues into her personal arms.

The homicide

Ms Coones is accused of bludgeoning Nicole Jones within the kitchen whereas Mr Jones stayed in the lounge.

“She went outdoors and retrieved a rock and when Nicole Jones was standing in entrance of the fridge within the kitchen, unaware of Kaitlyn’s presence, bludgeoned Nicole Jones a lot of occasions and strangled her,” Lucas County Prosecutor Andy Lastra advised the court docket.

In court docket on Friday, Detective Albright testified that after the brutal slaying, Ms Coones and Jones drove to an area retailer and acquired a tarp and trash luggage as a way to clear up the house and eliminate the physique.

They then wrapped the physique of Nicole Jones and drove it to a close-by condo complicated, the place they put it in a dumpster that was in the end taken to landfill. Police don’t imagine the physique will ever be recovered.

Disturbing textual content results in welfare verify on Nicole Jones

The Canton Police contacted the Sylvania Township Police to verify the protection of Nicole Jones following data they acquired that Ms Jones was at risk.

After Ms Coones was reported lacking, Stark County Youngsters Companies knowledgeable police that {the teenager} had allegedly despatched a textual content message to a gaggle dwelling nurse saying she killed two folks and she or he was on the run.

Nicole Jones was reported lacking on 11 Might after Sylvania Township police carried out a welfare verify on 5 Might and she or he couldn’t be positioned. Sylvania Township is a suburb about 13 miles west of Toledo.

Deputy Chief Jim Rettig of Sylvania Township later confirmed Ms Jones’ dying was being investigated as a murder and mentioned an arrest warrant charging one particular person in Lucas County Juvenile Courtroom had been filed.

Police later mentioned that Ms Coones had confessed to her position within the crime.

Ms Jones’s physique is believed to have gone to a landfill after being tossed in a dumpster, however her stays nonetheless haven’t been discovered.

Kaitlyn Coones and Jonathan Jones flee to Mexico

On 6 Might, the US Marshals Service and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Process Pressure introduced a nationwide manhunt for the pair who had been final seen in Mr Jones’s mom’s automobile in Arizona close to the Mexican border.

Mr Jones was wished by authorities after he had pleaded responsible in March to pandering obscene materials and baby endangerment, expenses tied to a 2022 court docket case within the Toledo space.

He was to be sentenced 4 Might, however missed his court docket look, and a warrant was issued, in response to investigators.

Mr Jones and Ms Coones had been positioned and arrested on 8 Might in Ahumada, Chihuahua, Mexico.

The pair had been caught when Mr Jones reportedly didn’t disarm the GPS monitoring gadget he was sporting after his conviction in March, in response to News19.

Police mentioned Ms Coones confessed to the killing throughout an interview.

Mr Jones can also be going through expenses in connection along with his mom’s homicide.

Police accuse Kaitlyn Coones of deceptive investigators

After being positioned in Mexico, Ms Coones was booked on 13 Might into the Multi-County Juvenile Consideration Heart in Canton Township, the place she stays, on a juvenile depend of felony obstruction. She was arraigned on the cost on Monday.

In keeping with a grievance filed in Stark County Household Courtroom, Ms Coones is accused of “purposely and with forethought flee(ing) town of Canton to Mexico with a identified wished felony,” and making an attempt to mislead investigators in subsequent social media posts.

The grievance additionally alleges Ms Coones usually ran away from foster properties, together with these in Cleveland and Akron.

“Kaitlyn’s working away resulted in an enormous regulation enforcement response involving the FBI, USMS, U.S. Border Patrol and a number of different native jurisdictions together with Mexican authorities sources to find and convey her again to america,” the grievance says.

Kaitlyn Coones was a repeat runaway

The incident earlier this 12 months will not be the primary time Ms Coones had run away.

In keeping with a grievance filed in Stark County Household Courtroom, she beforehand ran away from foster properties in Cleveland and Akron.

In 2020, Ms Coones ran away from the Canton dwelling the place she had been dwelling, in response to a report posted on Fb from Jordan Miller, host on radio present Discuss 1480 WHBC.

Ms Coones was a foster baby within the custody of Stark County Youngsters Companies and was dwelling in a gaggle dwelling simply earlier than she ran away and allegedly carried out the homicide of Ms Jones.

Defence lawyer claims Kaitlyn Coones is the sufferer

A choose dominated on Friday that Ms Coones could be licensed as an grownup within the case. She is charged with aggravated homicide, homicide, tampering with proof and abuse of a corpse.

Ms Coones’ lawyer Ann Baronas argued in court docket on Friday that {the teenager} is a sufferer of Mr Jones who was not alleged to have any contact together with her.

She additionally argued that investigators don’t know who despatched the textual content message in regards to the teenager allegedly admitting to 2 murders.

In March, Mr Jones pleaded responsible to endangering youngsters and making an attempt to commit pandering obscenity involving a minor.

Wooden County Assistant Prosecuting Legal professional Morgan Spitler claimed Mr Jones had intercourse with Ms Coones at a Tremendous 8 motel when she was 15 or 16 and within the custody of kid providers. Authorities discovered nude pictures of the pair that Mr Jones was planning to pander, in response to The Sentinel-Tribune.