Jackson, MS – A husband and wife are in custody following the discovery of a body in their backyard during a search for his missing mother. Authorities began their investigation after a family member reported 81-year-old Carol Ryan missing.
Ryan was expected to be at a nursing home in Brandon, just outside Jackson, but family had not heard from her for several months. On Tuesday, Jackson Police Chief Tyree Jones confirmed details of the case to reporters.
The investigation led to the home of 50-year-old John Ryan and his 48-year-old wife, Samantha Ryan. Police stated that all three had lived at the residence at one time.
Investigators obtained a warrant and searched the backyard with cadaver dogs that indicated the presence of human remains. They brought in excavators and discovered a body wrapped in a tarp and covered with concrete in a grave approximately six to eight feet deep.
A medical examiner will identify the remains and determine the cause and manner of death. The human remains were buried long before Carol Ryan was reported missing, according to the police chief.
The search for Carol Ryan remains active until the identity of the remains is confirmed.
John Ryan and Samantha Ryan face one count each of desecration of a human corpse. John Ryan is being held at Hinds County Jail on a $100,000 bond, while Samantha Ryan’s bond is set at $75,000.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may follow as more evidence comes to light.