Sterling Emanuel Jones was 68 years old when he left his home in Center Point, Alabama, for what was supposed to be a day trip to a Mississippi casino, carrying a large sum of cash and riding with a man he had recently met at a local racetrack. He was never seen in Alabama again. Nearly five years later, Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama is offering a $20,000 reward for information, and investigators say the case has long since shifted from a missing person search to a homicide investigation.
Jones was captured on surveillance video inside a Chevron gas station in Scooba, Mississippi, on October 25, 2021, marking his last confirmed sighting. He had set out that day for the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi, a trip he had reportedly made before. Scooba is in Kemper County, more than 150 miles from Center Point.
As reported by WBRC, officers say evidence now indicates Jones is no longer alive and was the victim of a homicide. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office believes the person responsible may have received help from others, though officials noted those who assisted afterward may not have realized at the time what had happened to Jones, per the station's report.
The Vehicle and the Five-Hour Return Trip
Investigators recovered and processed a green 2011 Infiniti QX50 SUV bearing the custom Alabama plate SIRNARD, which belonged to the man who had traveled with Jones, according to MissingSippi. The case became a homicide investigation, and evidence indicated Jones was likely deceased, the organization notes.
The family obtained and shared surveillance footage, and the travel companion was back in Birmingham the next day without Jones, Darkhorse Press reported.
A Wife Inside the Sheriff's Office
Jones's wife, Tina Jones, was an employee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. After Jones failed to return home or answer calls, he was reported missing, Darkhorse Press reports. His son told the outlet that Jones had never disappeared or “gone ghost.”
Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama is offering a $20,000 reward in Jones's case and has re-issued public appeals as the case approaches its five-year mark this month, according to Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama at 1-205-254-7777, and tips submitted to the organization are anonymous.
Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips. Information leading to the identification, charge, and arrest of a suspect could qualify a tipster for the reward.
What Alabama Law Says About Helping After the Fact
Alabama law draws a sharp line between the person who commits a killing and those who help afterward without having taken part. Under Alabama Code § 13A-10-43, rendering criminal assistance to someone who committed murder constitutes Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree, a Class C felony, according to FindLaw.
No body has been recovered in Jones's case, and the fifth anniversary of his disappearance is 12 days away. Investigators continue to believe that someone beyond the presumed killer knows what happened along that stretch of highway between Mississippi and Alabama, and the renewed reward push is aimed at finally getting one of them to talk.
