LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The father of five children, whose bodies were found in rural Alabama on Tuesday, will face murder charges as soon as he is back in South Carolina.
Wednesday morning, Lexington County Sheriff Lewis McCarty said the investigation into 32-year-old Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. been unlike anything he has seen in all of his years in law enforcement.
According to sheriff's officials in Smith County, MS, Jones waived his right to an extradition hearing and he should be back in South Carolina sometime on Wednesday.
McCarty said the bodies of the children--ages 1 to 8--are back in South Carolina. However, the Sheriff said he won't release their names until an autopsy is done to determine how they died.
Jones was arrested Saturday in Mississippi during a traffic checkpoint. McCarty said Jones is a graduate of Mississippi State and is father still lives there, which may explain why he was there.
At the time of his arrest, deputies said Jones appeared to be under the influence. When they searched his vehicle, deputies said they found what they thought were the chemicals to make meth and synthetic marijuana. Deputies also found bleach, muriatic acid and blood.
McCarty said the children's clothes were also in the vehicle.
Also on Wednesday, social service officials said Jones has an open investigation into unspecified claims of child abuse against him.
Jackie Swindler with the South Carolina Department of Social Services said the claim was filed against Jones on August 7, but "There was nothing that showed that the children were in any kind of imminent danger or peril at that time."
The children were reported missing by their mother on Sept. 3 when she had a hard time reaching her ex-husband, who had primary custody of the children.
