Deceased/Not Found SC - Leonna Wright, 1, Pendleton, 6 June 2015 *Arrests in 2020*

[MsMarple]

Sheriff says Leonna Wright case concluded, submitted to solicitor as a day honoring her is declared WOW!

Thanks! From your link:

At the ceremony, Sheriff McBride said his office just concluded the case and submitted it to the solicitor's office for review.

"We feel like our resolve is coming very soon. We are very hopeful. We have concluded our case as a matter of fact and have actually submitted our case to the solicitor's office for review so that's where we are right now," he said.
===
Huh? So is an arrest coming?? From another article (FYI Traci Fant is a community activist, not LE):

"I can’t say a lot about the evidence, or witness statements, but what I can say is these men need to pay for what they did to this baby. Time's up," Fant said.

Anderson County deputies echo the thought, saying with some new information, they are one step closer to closing this case.

"We know there were several people inside of the apartment when she disappeared, we know that her mother wasn’t one of them, we know whatever happened after, they decided that they didn’t want to take responsibility or take the blame for it, so they need to be charge for it," Fant said.
Local activists, family of missing child Leonna Wright celebrate 6th birthday, still seeking closure
Note: Solicitor = DA in South Carolina.

 

[Seratonin]

 

[KatzEye]

Live coverage of Travis Jones bond hearing :

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=281478553121219

Man formally charged with murder in case of Leonna Wright, who has been missing since 2015, warrants say

The arrest warrant says Jones "did cause the death of a 1-year-old child while committing child abuse or neglect, under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life."

"The defendant did willfully abandon and neglect the child multiple times during the said day, "the warrant said. "The 1-year-old child has not been seen or found alive since the said date."

ETA - quote added

 

[MsMarple]

Live coverage of Travis Jones bond hearing :

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=281478553121219

Man formally charged with murder in case of Leonna Wright, who has been missing since 2015, warrants say



ETA - quote added

Hallelujah! Thanks so much for letting us know! From your link:

At the time of Leonna's disappearance, Jones and Sullivan told investigators she might have crawled or walked out of the apartment after her older sister, who was then 3, had unlocked the door. They said they found the baby missing when they woke up around 9:30 a.m.

Investigators later determined that the older child was not capable of unlocking the door.

On Wednesday night Jones was booked into the Anderson County Detention Center.
Man formally charged with murder in case of Leonna Wright, who has been missing since 2015, warrants say
More at the link, including that another man whom I believe is Jones' brother, has also been charged. And Tenth Circuit Solicitor David R. Wagner is pissed at the sheriff for bringing the charge before he had a chance to review the case. His statement is in the article.

In turn, the sheriff is ticked off at the solicitor for releasing information from the warrants. Statement from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office is at this link:
ACSO charges two in death of Leonna Wright, including man originally named person of interest

ACSO also says the Tenth Circuit Solicitor's Office has had the case file for review since January 2020, and that detectives presented the facts of the case to a magistrate who found probable cause to issue the warrants.

Press Conference:
Anderson Co.Sheriff Chad McBride announces charges against 2 suspects in the 2015 death of Leonna Wright.

I remember that ridiculous 911 call where both Jones and Leonna's mother tried to blame her 5 year old sister for letting Leonna get out. Grr.

 

[Seratonin]

How is the brother getting convicted as well?

what evidence did they find to convict both men?

Im not casting doubt, but i want to know if anyone has more info? I can read up to see .. is this just going off circumstantial evidence?

how did the brother of jones come into this as well?

 

[SouthernMom]

I'm so glad they finally got enough evidence to charge this guy and I hope the accessory charges against his brother stick. Traci Fant, a local activist, kept this story in the news and pushed really hard for justice for this sweet girl.

 

[MsMarple]

How is the brother getting convicted as well?

what evidence did they find to convict both men?

Im not casting doubt, but i want to know if anyone has more info? I can read up to see .. is this just going off circumstantial evidence?

how did the brother of jones come into this as well?

Currently neither man is convicted, only charged. LE had the brother on its radar for a while and he is being charged with accessory after the fact and destruction or desecration of human remains. Sounds like LE believes he helped Jones hide Leonna's body.

We don't have a lot of information right now but I trust that LE has some sort of compelling evidence that led to the warrants. The sheriff has stated that Leonna is deceased, which is a strong statement:

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office has now confirmed that baby Leonna Wright, who went missing more than five years ago, has died. The agency also says two suspects are charged with her death. On Thursday, one of those suspects is expected to face a judge.
ACSO charges two in death of Leonna Wright, including man originally named person of interest

Maybe someone finally talked or forensic evidence has been processed. Hopefully we'll hear more soon.

Some older reports:
Mother of missing SC toddler charged with sibling's neglect
Anderson County Sheriff's Office takes new look at disappearance of baby Leonna Wright
Where is baby Leonna Wright? 'I think we are getting closer to an answer,' sheriff says

 

[Seratonin]

Currently neither man is convicted, only charged. LE had the brother on its radar for a while and he is being charged with accessory after the fact and destruction or desecration of human remains. Sounds like LE believes he helped Jones hide Leonna's body.

We don't have a lot of information right now but I trust that LE has some sort of compelling evidence that led to the warrants. The sheriff has stated that Leonna is deceased, which is a strong statement:

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office has now confirmed that baby Leonna Wright, who went missing more than five years ago, has died. The agency also says two suspects are charged with her death. On Thursday, one of those suspects is expected to face a judge.
ACSO charges two in death of Leonna Wright, including man originally named person of interest

Maybe someone finally talked or forensic evidence has been processed. Hopefully we'll hear more soon.

Some older reports:
Mother of missing SC toddler charged with sibling's neglect
Anderson County Sheriff's Office takes new look at disappearance of baby Leonna Wright
Where is baby Leonna Wright? 'I think we are getting closer to an answer,' sheriff says

Thank u, I appreciate it

 

[CastlesBurning]

Updated 7/10/20:
Leaona Cheyanne Wright – The Charley Project

 

[SouthernMom]

@Katzthank thank you for posting the bond hearing upthread.
It was interesting that although the suspect attended virtually, the parents and family were present in the judges office (wearing masks.) I believe Traci Fant was also present. She is a local activist who has helped the family keep this case in the public eye and repeatedly called for justice. The suspect maintained his statement of innocence. The judge let the family know that it could take up to 2 years now to bring this to trial. What a nightmare for this family.

 

[SouthernMom]

More local coverage regarding the arrest of a suspect in the Leonna Wright case. This article states that the brother of Travis Jones, who is charged as an accessory, is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges.

New arrests, details revealed in case of baby Leonna Wright, who disappeared 5 years ago

 

[MsMarple]

Monday, Donnie Roderick Jones [brother of Travis Jones] was transferred to the Anderson County Detention Center around noon.
...
The judge set Jones' surety bond at $5,000 per charge for a total of $10,000.

Jones still has a hold on him from the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The judge informed Jones he would be returned there to serve the remaining portion of his previous sentence. At that time the judge said Jones will be able to post bond for these charges.
...
According to the arrest warrants, Jones removed Leonna's body from the apartment "with intentions to destroy or damage the remains of the 1-year-old infant child."

Travis Jones, Donnie's brother, is charged with Murder/ Homicide by child abuse.
Second suspect in death of missing Anderson Co. 1-year-old gets $10,000 bond

Tuesday in bond court, Leonna’s grandmother addressed Donnie Jones. “We've been living with this too long. You need to let us know so we can move on with life. We've been suffering for a long time and I know you know," she said.

Leonna’s grandfather also spoke up. “If you're a real man, you'll be truthful,” he said.

Leonna’s cousin addressed him as well. “They need to come forward and give us some closure. This has been going on five years. We need closure,” she said.
'We need closure': Family of Leonna Wright speaks to man charged in her disappearance during hearing
Video:
Family of Leonna Wright pleads for answers

 

[SouthernMom]

Heartbroken for this family. I hope that someone will speak up and tell them where sweet little Leonna is located.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Donnie Jones is expected back in court on Sept. 4 at 9 a.m.

'We need closure': Family of Leonna Wright speaks to man charged in her disappearance during hearing

 

[SouthernMom]

Sunday August 16, 2020 a memorial was held for precious little Leonna. I just don't understand why someone won't anonymously give info about where she is located. Someone I know that lives near them said that the suspects land had been searched by LE.

Family of Leonna Wright demands justice during memorial

 

[hblunt]

No new information, but glad little Leona is still being remembered dearly by those who cared for and loved her.

'We’re still fighting for justice': Family, activist seek closure 6 years after disappearance, death of Upstate baby

 

[KatzEye]

Sadly, it looks like bond was posted back in March for TJ. I am unable to find info about any upcoming court dates. TJ's middle name is Devon if you want to look him up. I can see that he's had a couple of drug charges since baby Leonna's death. Lots of other TJs in Anderson County and I'm unsure if any of those are him. The case number is 2020A0410101085 for the murder charge.

https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Anderson/PublicIndex/PISearch.aspx

 

[Cagle]

Family, activists gather on anniversary of Leonna Wright disappearance

The family of Leonna Wright, along with activists from Freedom Fighters Upstate SC, gathered Sunday evening at Palmetto Village Apartments (formerly Edgewood Square Apartments) in Pendleton to speak out over the still-missing body of then one-year-old Leonna and announce a new playground which will be built in her honor.

 

[sds71]

Sheriff McBride released the following statement Wednesday.

"On December 15, 2021 the case regarding Leonna Wright was dismissed in a preliminary hearing. Although the Magistrate that issued the arrest warrants for the two defendants originally found probable cause to charge them, a different Magistrate that oversaw the proceeding today found that there was insufficient probable cause to move forward. While I disagree with today’s ruling, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is committed to seeking justice for Baby Leonna Wright. Our Detectives continue to investigate this incident in hopes to find additional evidence that would lead to the prosecution and conviction of those responsible. When I inherited this case in 2017, I was determined to bring to justice those responsible for Baby Leonna. I am thankful for all of the Detectives that have been involved in this investigation, and am grateful for all of their hard work, effort, and countless manhours spent working on this case. I am confident they will continue their relentless pursuit for justice."

Murder charge dropped in case of Leonna Wright, missing since 2015 (wyff4.com)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“This isn’t just any old bust," said Traci Fant, community activist and founder of Freedom Fighters SC. "This right here is a piece of my heart, a piece of her family’s heart, you can see all the emotion behind it.”

Wright, a 1-year-old at the time, went missing in June 2015 from her mom's apartment complex in Pendleton.

In 2020, her mom's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, Travis Jones and his brother were charged in connection with the case. However, the charges were later dropped.

“We believe justice will still be forthcoming in this case, and we’re not going to give up, so sometimes there’s a difference of opinions between law enforcement and the judicial system, so we just we know where we have to go from here and that’s what we’re committed to do," Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said.

McBride said detectives have spent many hours on this case and encouraged those who may know something to say something, even if it seems like a small piece of information.

“Nothing is too irrelevant to bring to us and let us know about it, but I think there’s a couple people out there that probably have some very close knowledge to exactly what transpired that night to Leonna, and they need to come forward. It’s time,” McBride said.

Sculpture unveiled in memory of Upstate baby 8 years after her disappearance

Leonna Wright disappeared in June 2015.

www.wyff4.com