Texas man arrested after his mother’s body was found in crawl space under her home
12/07/2022 3:31 pm PST
BELTON, Texas (TCD) -- A 20-year-old male was arrested after his mother’s remains were reportedly found in the crawl space under her home.
On Dec. 1, Belton Police officers responded to Jennifer James’ home after learning she did not show up for work, KWTX-TV reports. Officers were reportedly met by the victim’s son, Jasper James, who told them his mother was not home and that he had not seen her since the day before.
According to KWTX, when officers spoke with Jasper, they saw "scratches on the suspect’s face that appeared fresh."
The suspect reportedly refused to let the officers enter the home. KWTX reports that Jasper did allow his cousin, Kayla James, to enter the residence. While inside, Kayla allegedly saw that the living room couch was missing, and Jasper told her it was in the garage.
According to the affidavit obtained by KWTX, "Kayla looked in the garage and reported to officers that she observed what appeared to be blood on the couch."
The suspect’s cousin allegedly told authorities that "there had been violence and threats by the suspect (Jasper) toward Jennifer in the past and the police had been called."
The victim’s keys, wallet, and car were all reportedly still at the home. Officers searched the property and found the suspect’s mother’s body in the crawl space under the house, KWKT reports.
The victim’s body showed signs of trauma, including stab wounds, according to KWKT-TV.
Upon further search of the home, officers allegedly noticed blood all around the house as well as furniture that had been cleaned with a Bluestar Forensic spray.
Police told KWKT that the attack was an isolated incident.
Jasper James was arrested and booked into the Bell County Jail for murder, records show. He remains held on $1.5 million bond.
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