FL FL - Cheryl Jones, 35, Orlando, 12 Dec 1990

Lorraining

Lorraining
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This is a case that has haunted me for the past 16 years. Cheryl Jones was the mother of two children and lived just a few blocks from me. One of her children was a friend and classmate of one of my children. There were several articles in the Orlando Sentinel in the month following her brutal murder and coverage on local news stations, but only two follow-up articles in next two years. I have the articles which I have downloaded from the Orlando Sentinel's archives, but will not attempt to post them as I understand we are not supposed to do so due to copywrite laws. I will try to report on the important points covered in the articles below. If anyone knows anything more about this case or knows how I can find out if the case was ever solved, please let me know.

Cheryl Jones' two children, 8 year old Stephen and 6 year old Katherine, woke up on the morning of December 12, 1990 to find that their mother was missing from their Orlando home in the upscale Conway neighborhood where they lived. They phoned their father, Paul Jones, in Sarasota where he had been spending several nights a week on his yacht since the couple's separation four months earlier. He contacted a neighbor who went to the home and helped the children get ready and took them to school where they told officials their mother was missing.

Around 9:30 a.m. that morning her vehicle was found by a neighbor 1/2 mile from her home with blood on the bumper and Cheryl's body in the back seat, covered by a blanket. The subsequent autopsy showed she was killed by a blow to the head with a blunt object.

It was reported that the police believe she was killed in her home the night before while the children were sleeping and then placed in her vehicle which was then moved a few blocks away. They think she knew her attacker because there was no sign of a struggle in the home and neighbors had not heard anything unusual the night before. The neighborhood she lived in was a one street neighborhood with very upscale houses which are close together. Neighbors said that the family's golden retriever dog which stayed outside and was known to bark when disturbed had not made a sound that night. There was no indication of forced entry.

Word got around my children's elementary school quickly and my children were talking about it and pretty upset when I picked them up. It was all over the news that they had found her body. It was reported on the evening local television news the next night and reported in the Orlando Sentinel on December 15th that Cheryl had filed a document on September 28 asking a judge to order her husband out of the house. A copy of the handwritten document was shown on the news. It said, "I want to divorce and my husband won't let me! He has threatened to murder me and now he is mad. He has hit me in the past when gets really angry." Her husband's lawyer had filed a denial, stating that "The husband has never threatened bodily harm to the wife and has never been physically violent to her and never would." He further stated, "Those types of allegations are frequently used in dissolution cases to cause the removal of the husband."

She was killed five weeks before they were scheduled to go to court to conclude their divorce. The couple owned a ceramic tile business in Orlando and were part owners in a ceramic tile business in Sarasota. It said in the paper that Cheryl was seeking title to the two businesses and other assets. Divorce records listed the couple's assets at 1.8 million dollars, including their house in Orlando and their yacht.

It was reported in the Orlando Sentinel that Cheryl had been with a boyfriend the night she was killed. His name was never mentioned in any of the articles.

The children were placed in foster care initially, but then given back to their father. Although I am not certain, I believe he moved back into the family home, because I was often behind him and the children in traffic while taking my children to school in the mornings. I don't know if he was ever a suspect. Perhaps he had a good alibi in Sarasota. It seems strange that they never named her boyfriend who had been with her the night before.

I never heard anything else about them solving the crime. There was an article in the Sentinel on November 10, 1991 (nearly a year later) where it was stated that investigators were still searching for her killer and that detectives had turned up few leads. It was quoted, "We are certainly nowhere near an arrest. Someone out there could make the difference in this situation."

The last article I could find was in the Sentinel on June 2, 1992 where someone had written the paper requesting a follow-up. It stated that investigators had no suspects, but they thought she knew her killer because there were no signs of a struggle. This article quoted the sheriff's spokesman as stating, "Basically, on this one, we're hoping to get a break." It gave a phone number for people to call with any tips and that that a tip from the public might be the only way to solve the case.

I've tried my best to cover most of the information in the Orlando Sentinel's articles. I obtained them through the Orlando Sentinel archives and can email the complete articles to anyone interested.

I think of this case often as I drive by her street nearly every day. How would I go about finding out if this was ever solved or if it is a "cold case"? I've been thinking of writing the Sentinel and requesting a follow-up. I find it very sad to think that someone could get away with this awful crime that deprived her two beautiful children of their mother.
 
Bumping this because I never received a response. Can anyone advise me on the best way to find out anything from either the local police or the media on the status of this case?
 
I haven't heard of this case and looked at the Olando cold case site and there isn't any mention of it I would maybe call and ask
 
Hi Lorraining,

Did you ever call the Orlando PD or Orange Co. Sheriff's office to find out if this is still unsolved or not? I am not sure which LE agency has the case.
 
Hi Lorraining,

Just a thought - have you discusseed this with other parents or even a teacher from the school?

I'm not saying to approach a teacher about it - but if you're in conversation with one maybe they would have some information.

I'd contact the paper - then maybe the police.

Any close family of hers nearby? It's usually the family that pushes the investigation....have they been around?

And you're right - two children left motherless is beyond sad.
 
Lorraining - I often drive by that site off Gatlin and think about her too. I had several classes with her son in elementary school. I think the most gut wrenching memory I have of it is when there was a day the parents came in to have lunch with their kids. We were lined up in the hallway and he completely lost it and broke down. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him (and his sister). I checked the cold cases online with OCSO and OPD and didn't see it listed. I see your post was 5 years ago and the last post being 3 years ago. If I get time this week I'll send out a few emails (newspaper, OCSO, OPD) and see if anything surfaced.
 
Hi Dazed,

Please let me know if you find anything out. This case really bothers me. I drive by her neighborhood every day and always think of her.

Lorraining
 
Sad case!
Something I'm curious about - do you know if in the divorce proceeding if the father wanted custody of the children?

I ask this because I've been noting cases in which there are recent pending or post divorce proceedings and the husband wants custody, the wife will not give up custody, and then the wife goes "missing".

Though not statistically accurate, so far in these cases the husband is the one who always has done it. (NOT saying the husband did anything wrong here! Just working
on my statistics...) Anyone know of other cases that would confirm/disprove/find-tune my theory.
 
Hi im Katherine Jones, Cheryl`s daughter. I will be 30 this year and the police still have not found my mothers killer. The police found me when I moved back to Orlando after I served in the army. They said they knew my father did it and they were waiting for him to mess up so they could prove it. Other than that I have found no logical explanation as of why my brotherand I have had to grow up without a mother. My father and I dont speak, so Ive pretty much been on my own since 18.
 
Hi im Katherine Jones, Cheryl`s daughter. I will be 30 this year and the police still have not found my mothers killer. The police found me when I moved back to Orlando after I served in the army. They said they knew my father did it and they were waiting for him to mess up so they could prove it. Other than that I have found no logical explanation as of why my brotherand I have had to grow up without a mother. My father and I dont speak, so Ive pretty much been on my own since 18.

Welcome to WS dessipaige! I am so very sorry for your loss, and I hope you have closure soon. :(
 
Hi im Katherine Jones, Cheryl`s daughter. I will be 30 this year and the police still have not found my mothers killer. The police found me when I moved back to Orlando after I served in the army. They said they knew my father did it and they were waiting for him to mess up so they could prove it. Other than that I have found no logical explanation as of why my brotherand I have had to grow up without a mother. My father and I dont speak, so Ive pretty much been on my own since 18.

Hi Katherine, I can't tell you how sorry I am for your loss and that you and your brother had to grow up without a mother. It must be very difficult to know that your father is a suspect. I always wondered if he was. At the time this happened, I was going through a similar situation with an ugly divorce. I was frightened of my ex-husband.

That is interesting that the police contacted you after all these years. I'm glad to know they still have it as an open case. Do you know if they suspect he did it himself or if he had someone do it for him?

How is your brother?
 
Hi Katie, It's been a long time since I have seen you. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Mona and I was married to your uncle Chuck. I always think about your mother this time of year and I often wonder how you and your brother are doing.
I ran a google search to see if there were any changes in the case and I ran across this website. Your mother was a wonderful, kind person who did not have an enemy in the world. Her death still horrifies me.
My email address is monahadley@ymail.com if you would like to contact me. I have a copy of a little book that you made in school that was given to the police. Did they show it to you? I would really love to hear from you.
 
Has anyone heard anything further about this?

We're sorting through these cold cases looking for any similarities to one we are investigating. Found some similarities on this case. The links and article below are 4 different cases we believe were committed by the same person due to some information we've obtained. Any thoughts?

What happened to Mary Ellen Wise?

Family of slain chiropractor seeks tips 26 years after her death

Plea For Help In Solving Murder Of Wife, Mother Bonnie Goodson

And this one doesn't have many articles, but here is a blurb from one of them:

- The seventh killing happened Nov. 21 when a discount ticket salesman was beaten to death on West U.S. Highway 192.

Tourists stopping for directions found Antonio Zuco, 50, in the bathroom of his ticket shop and tourist information center.

An undisclosed amount of cash and number of tickets to area attractions were taken, along with Zuco's wallet. Deputies think the murder weapon might be a hammer. The Osceola Sheriff's Office is still investigating.
 
Hi im Katherine Jones, Cheryl`s daughter. I will be 30 this year and the police still have not found my mothers killer. The police found me when I moved back to Orlando after I served in the army. They said they knew my father did it and they were waiting for him to mess up so they could prove it. Other than that I have found no logical explanation as of why my brotherand I have had to grow up without a mother. My father and I dont speak, so Ive pretty much been on my own since 18.
 
Hi Katherine, my name is Sue Molly and was a friend of your moms years ago. I always wondered how you and your brother were doing. You were probably 3 the last time I saw you. Lately I've been thinking about her and stumbled upon this site. We used to work at a carpet distributor together. I have some old photos of her that I would really like to give you. You can reach me at susanmolly@watsonrealtycorp.com
 

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