ATLANTA, Nov. 22 -- A nationwide search is under way Wednesday for a suburban Atlanta man wanted for questionning in connection with the deaths of his wife and her friend. The bodies of Ruby L. Joyner, 43, and Halima R. Jones, 40, both from Peachtree City, were found Tuesday in the back of Jones' minivan at a long-term parking lot at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. A medical examiner's report said Joyner died of a blunt trauma to the head complicated by strangulation and Jones died of a gunshot wound to the head. Atlanta police Sgt. Dan Genson said the women had been dead since last Wednesday or Thursday. Investigators believe their bodies were placed in the Plymouth Voyager after they were killed, then the van was driven to the airport. The women disappeared Nov. 14 after leaving in Jones' Plymouth Voyager van to go shopping. Joyner's husband, Lewis, 48, flew to New York three days later -- without reporting his wife missing. Joyner reportedly told authorities Monday by telephone that he would return to Atlanta, but he has not been heard from since and his hotel room in New York has been sealed off. Both New York Police and the FBI are aiding in the search for Joyner. A search of Joyner's residence and a storage bin he rented in connection with the disappearance of the women led to the seizure of cocaine, marijuana, packing supplies and other drug-related items. He has been charged with two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
This is not Lewis Joyner's first run-in with the law. Joyner was stopped while driving in rural Georgia on Sept. 2, 1994, and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana, as well as other traffic violations. In February, he was charged in Peachtree City with DUI and altering his license to read 'Lewis Jansen.' The Joyners had operated a successful moving company that was profiled in a 1994 issue of Black Enterprise magazine but later that year sold the company, after which Lewis Joyner declared bankruptcy and faced several financial problems. Jones was a teacher and administrator at Parks Middle School in Atlanta.
