SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane mom is mourning the loss of her three-year-old son, while Spokane Police wait for the suspect in the toddler’s death to be extradited to Spokane from Las Vegas.
Newly filed Spokane County court documents detail what investigators believe happened to the boy. Court documents said John Jones, the boyfriend of the toddler’s mother, will be charged with second-degree murder.
On Monday, the Spokane County Medical Examiner identified the toddler, but his cause and manner of death is "pending."
According to court documents, Spokane Fire received a report of a child not breathing on Jan. 31. When crews arrived at the Northeast Spokane home, medics found the three-year-old boy dead. The child’s mother told police earlier that day Jones was alone with her two children for about two hours while she shopped.
He left after the family returned home to deliver a birthday gift to his daughter, according to court documents. The mother told police Jones called her to say he was getting pulled over by police and received a $500 ticket. He called again and told the mother to report the car stolen.
While he was gone, the mother later noticed the three-year-old was cold to the touch and called for help. Jones never returned.
But, he repeatedly called and texted the mother while investigators were at the home. At one point, the mother put him on speaker phone and officers heard Jones say, “I am gone. I am gone.”
According to court documents, the Spokane County Medical Examiner noted multiple bruises all over the toddler, including broken ribs. They described the injuries as similar to trauma from a serious vehicle collision or from falling two to three stories.
However, investigators found no damage to the car, and the other child showed no signs of injuries.
In a search for the mother’s vehicle, Las Vegas police located it the day after the child's death. In a traffic stop, officers identified Jones as the driver. That’s when they took him into custody.
Jones does have a criminal history. According to Washington’s Department of Corrections, Jones served 18 months in community custody from April 2010 to January 2011 for second-degree robbery and harassment. He later served nearly 11 years in prison from June 2014 to April 2021 for robbery and assault charges.
KREM 2 spoke with the toddler’s mother today. She is still mourning the loss of her child and is not yet ready to speak publicly. She said the family is beginning to make arrangements for her son’s funeral.
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