Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/626086
6 JANUARY 13-19, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM On Christmas morning, J.J. Jones celebrated the holy holiday with his family. During the quiet interludes that sometimes envelop us while we watch others enjoy themselves, Jones remembered the years he played bogeyman with his son Antwone. Jones recalled chasing the squealing youngster, catching him and placing him on his shoulders and then the pair would march around the house. Antwone is no longer with his family. This was the 14th Christmas that the Jones family was without their son. Someone murdered him in 2001 and dumped his body in a rural Cumberland County field. "It's just a sad time for all our family," Jones said. "I just wish this night - mare would end." Jones' nightmare is the yet unsolved murder of Antwone. It's a cold case that the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office homicide squad re- opened in early November. Fourteen years ago, the soft spoken 23-year-old left the safe environs of his Parkton home. It was on a Friday, Nov. 2. His intent was to do someone a favor by giving them a ride. He was last known to be alive around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, a day before a passerby discovered his body. Detectives say he was talking on his cell phone as he sat in his 1989 Burgundy Honda Accord at Morgan Place Apartments. The apartments are just off Morganton Road, near Bonanza Drive. Someone approached his car, and then the phone fell silent. Detectives found his car four days later in a wooded area off Bunce Road. A woman walking her dog spotted Antwone's body on Sunday Nov. 4, 2001. He was lying in a wooded area off Gillis Hill Road, near the Hoke County line. Antwone had died from a gunshot wound, but detectives are not sure where the crime occurred. Both Fay - etteville and Cumberland County detectives worked the case. The elder Jones says he often contacts Sheriff's detectives, hoping they have a lead that will help solve the murder and end the nightmare. "I keep in touch. They have certain people there that are great about keeping family members updated. They see the hurt we go through. They get close to you and become part of the family. You can talk to them like family members. We need to cooperate with them as much as we can," Jones said. Among those looking to solve this murder is Lt. Kim Gagnon. She's a 17-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office who now heads the homicide unit. She recently spoke to a Saturday morning gathering of the Cumberland County Citizens United, Inc., a non-profit organization that keeps citizens informed on local government projects. Despite the low turnout, Gagnon's presentation displayed her passion for the case. "Antwone was the victim here. He was a good person and the people he hung around with were not criminals," she said. The lieutenant and her unit reopened the the case in early November. Detectives set up a command post at the apartments where he was last known to be alive, and at a gas station at Bunce and Raeford roads, near where deputies recovered his car. Gagnon said the homicide unit's recent efforts resulted in leads but could not elaborate. Currently, there is a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the murderer. Antwone's case is only one of 89 unsolved murders in Cumberland County. The county covers roughly 658 square miles and is the fifth most populous in North Carolina. The cases span several decades. The Fayetteville Police Department lists another 51 unsolved cases in its database. Gagnon believes someone will eventually say something. "Some talk for the money and some talk for a deal," Gagnon said. The deal she refers to is someone who deputies arrest on an unrelated charge and is willing to trade information for consideration in their own legal plight. And, said Gagnon, re-interviewing people also helps, especially if there are questions investigators did not ask the first time." If someone doesn't ask, they won't say anything," she said. Jones is the publisher of a community newspaper. He often runs large advertisements in his publication asking the public for help in solving his son's murder. But for now, he continues to hope for closure. "It hurts to know there are people out there. They are going to the movies, going to the beach, having a good time, and who committed this crime." "He had $30 in his pocket and I know he begged for his life. What can you do with $30," Jones asked. Jason Brady, Fayetteville Cold Case Reopened LETTER TO THE EDITOR Antwone Jones FTCC CORPORATE & CONTINUING EDUCATION www.faytechcc.edu/continuing_education Let us help you reach your greatest potential! Train today for an exciting career in Healthcare! View our class schedules or register by visiting Register today for our Hybrid EMT program to begin earning your Paramedic Certification! Call 678-8251 today for more information! We also offer Certified Nursing Assistant I & II, Phlebotomy classes and Registered Medical Assistant classes!