An arrest warrant reveals the gruesome death of a 74-year-old Jacksonville woman last month. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Phillip Jason Smith, aged 37, was arrested in the murder of his great-aunt, Janice Walker Fulton.
Police learned about the Fulton's disappearance when family called the afternoon of Jan. 26 to report her missing. According to the police report, she had not been seen since Jan. 21st, and something in the house made officers to believe her safety was at risk.
On Friday, the new arrest affidavit revealed that the cause for the concern was large amount of blood inside Fulton's home on the city's Westside.
According to the report, when Fulton's family went to her home after not hearing from her in the several days, and they found blood, so they called the police and Smith, who lived with her.
Smith told to the family members over the phone that he did not know where his great-aunt was, and also "provided false information to the family concerning his current whereabouts," the document said.
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When the officers arrived, they saw the blood in the home and then they put out a missing-person alert.
According to JSO, Fulton was found dead later that evening in the Henry County, Georgia, south of Atlanta, after Smith had stopped for gas in the Kia Optima that police were looking for.
Locust Grove police who were alerted the car might be in their area when JSO pinged the GPS tracker in the car had located the vehicle at about 10 p.m. and took Smith into custody.
The arrest affidavit said that, the Georgia detectives found Fulton's "body wrapped up in a tarp inside the car.”
The report also stated that Fulton had blunt force trauma injuries on her head.
Later, when JSO obtained a warrant to search Fulton's home, police said they found the blood in multiple rooms, along with the bleach and cleaning supplies.
On Tuesday, Smith was returned to Jacksonville and booked into the Duval County. He was ordered held without bond.
By Mrudula.
