A Collinsville, Alabama, man is being held on a $1 million bond in the death of his mother in DeKalb County following a three-day investigation by out-of-county authorities, according to a news release.
Emergency personnel, DeKalb County deputies and Collinsville police found Sandra Jelks, 62, unresponsive in the living room of her Watts Drive home in Collinsville on Dec. 6, authorities said.
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Because Jelks was the mother of a DeKalb County Sheriff's Office employee, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, District Attorney's Office and Jacksonville State University Center for Applied Forensics were asked to investigate the death, the release states. Investigators immediately developed a suspect, Bruce Lee Jones, 41, of Collinsville, and arrested him shortly after on unrelated charges, authorities said. Jones was identified as Jelks' son.
Sheriff's Office officials said Monday via email the Sheriff's Office employee and Jones are siblings, but they didn't identify the employee by name.
Jones is charged with murder and is being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center, authorities said.
"It's unfortunate that this horrible crime happened in the peaceful community of Collinsville," Sheriff Nick Welden said in the release. "Our DeKalb County Sheriff's Office family has suffered a tragic loss, and we ask for your prayers for the family of Sandra Jelks and the employee who lost a mother."
Welden expressed his appreciation for the help from the Cherokee County sheriff and district attorney for taking up the investigation and initial responders for their assistance.
-- Compiled by Ben Benton