PARTHENON — The body of a Newton County woman was found near her home on Thanksgiving afternoon, more than a month after she went missing.
Newton County Chief Deputy Keith Slape said the body of Sherry Jones, 48, was found about a quarter mile from her house on Gum Springs Road outside Parthenon.
Jones had been missing since Wednesday evening, Oct. 18. Slape said she had called the Newton County Sheriff’s Office about 5 p.m. that day requesting a deputy at her residence just off County Road 188 about two miles from the Parthenon Community Building.
Although officials said Jones sounded intoxicated on the phone, Slape said she was not on any kind of psychiatric medication.
Slape said that when a deputy and ambulance arrived there some 20 minutes later, no one was there.
They did find a note that appeared to be a suicide note, Slape said. The backpack Jones carried with her was missing. In addition, the .380-caliber pistol she carried in that backpack was missing.
Slape said Jones was last seen that day when a friend gave her a ride home because her truck broke down. She was apparently wearing a bright blue shirt and denim overalls.
Slape said a hunter came upon Jones’ decomposing body about 3 p.m. Thursday. Her body was dressed in the same clothes she was wearing when reported missing.
Various emergency agencies joined in the search for Jones, which lasted for several days. Searchers covered the heavily foliated area in grid patterns, planting flags to show which areas had been searched.
Slape said he body was found about 15 yards from one of those flags. He said it appeared her body had been there for some time.
“Since that night, I would say,” Slape said.
He said there was nothing at the scene that aroused suspicion of foul play, but it also was getting dark by the time the body was finally recovered. Investigators were returning to the scene this morning to search the area more closely.
Sheriff Charles Raulston said Jones is a nurse who was working in a Kansas City hospital, going there for a specified period of time and returning home to Newton County. He said she lived alone.
Ironically, Jones went missing almost a year to the day when two other men were last seen in Newton County.
Timothy Ray Eddings, then 38, and Tilton Housden, then 22, both of Jasper, were last seen Oct. 19, 2005, after they had finished roofing a house in the Shiloh Mountain area.
Eddings’ 2001 Dodge Ram pickup was found abandoned off of Highway 21 about three miles south of Fallsville on No. 7.
At the time, Raulston said the vehicle was undamaged and there were no apparent signs of foul play inside or near the vehicle. However, Eddings’ key chain was missing and only a single key was left in the ignition. The keys to his house, ATV and motorcycle were removed from the key ring and are missing, Raulston said.
And another man reported missing almost two years ago still hasn’t been heard from, authorities say.
Josh Middleton, 21 at the time, of Mt. Judea was reported missing Jan. 21, 2005. A $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to his whereabouts.
Slape said Jones’ body will be sent to the state Crime Lab for autopsy to find the exact cause of death.
“It’s undetermined at this time,” he said.