KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas City, Kan. man accused of torturing his seven-year-old son and attacking a 29-year-old woman made his first appearance in court Monday.
Michael Jones, 44, faces aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a firearm and child abuse in connection with crimes alleged to have happened on Wednesday in the 5200 block of North 99th Street.
Jones entered the courtroom wearing a jumpsuit and handcuffs. He sat in front of the judge and listened to his charges.
Police were initially called to scene to investigate an armed disturbance. During the investigation, officers were tipped off that Jones’ seven-year-old son had been missing for an extended period of time.
On Thursday investigators returned with a search warrant and discovered human remains in a shed at the property. Police are working with forensic examiners to determine if those remains are the seven-year-old son who was reported missing, and a confirmed identity is still pending. Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman will conduct a press briefing at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Jones has not been charged with murder, but is being held on a $10 million bond.
On Monday, FOX 4’s Robert Townsend spoke to a friend of the suspect’s wife. She said she was too afraid to be interviewed on camera and asked that we not reveal her identity.
The friend says she visited the family’s home in the late summer and saw all the couple’s seven children there, but the seven-year-old boy was missing.
She says the couple has kids ranging from one to 11-years old.
According to the woman, Jones’ wife texted her on Thanksgiving to say ‘Mike’s in jail for murder.’ The friend says the wife told her that Michael Jones beat his son to death in September and left him to the hogs in the barn behind the family home.
The woman says the missing boy has special needs and was allegedly kept away from other children for fear he would hurt the other kids. She says they kept him in the basement.
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