The Disappearance and Death of Julius TaDarius Jones

Julius 'TaDarius' Jones (26) vanished on August 14th, 2011. He lived in Meridian, Mississippi at the time of his disappearance. TaDarius' loved ones last saw him on the evening he went missing. He ate dinner with his family, went out afterwards, then never returned home. TaDarius was never seen or heard from again.

Two days after he was last seen, TaDarius' car was found parked near an abandoned home on 27th Street. There was no sign of TaDarius at the scene and no additional clues were found. Investigators reportedly chased numerous leads over the years, but no suspects were ever named. His family members believed he met with foul play since the onset of the investigation. There has been a lot of online speculation about specific people being involved. It appears said people have been interviewed by police, but no arrests have been made. 

On February 19th, 2019, TaDarius was declared legally dead. It appears that this declaration was made by law enforcement, as TaDarius's mother said she did not learn that her son had been declared dead until July 2022. This news was inevitably upsetting to TaDarius' family as they still hoped for answers.

Years passed without any sign of TaDarius. Then, in August 2024, human remains were found in the 2300 block of 26th Street. In January 2025, those human remains were positively identified as Julius 'TaDarius' Jones. His death remains under investigation.

After the identification of TaDarius' remains, his father spoke to reporters about their family's ongoing search for answers. He stated, "Eventually, we’re going to find out now really what happened to our son because his body was his remains were found at one location. His vehicle found another location, so there’s no closure in that, and we just really want to know this time what happened, and my heart goes out to whoever may know who may have information. That they have lived with this for 13 going on 14 years with this information and haven’t said anything, and I’m pleading today that if you know anything, please come forward to really give us rest and closure."

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Meridian Police Department at 601-485-1859.

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Sources:
ABC 11
Charley Project
The Meridian Star

TV One
Twin States News

Today in True Crime: August 14, 2022

It's the 11 year anniversary of two different cases - one is a missing persons' case, the other is a murder. Unfortunately, both cases remain unsolved.

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Julius 'TaDarius' Jones vanished at the age of 26 on August 14th, 2011. He lived in Meridian, Mississippi at the time of his disappearance. TaDarius' loved ones last saw him on the evening he went missing. He ate dinner with his family, went out afterwards, then never returned home. TaDarius has never been seen or heard from again.

Two days after he was last seen, TaDarius' car was found parked near an abandoned home on 27th Street. There was no sign of TaDarius at the scene and no additional clues were found. His case went cold quickly. On February 19th, 2019, TaDarius was declared legally dead. 

Over the years, several leads have been chased, but no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly named. There is a lot of online speculation about what happened, but no arrests have been made. TaDarius remains missing.

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My thoughts on this case...

Definitely another case where investigators have a lot more information than disclosed. Not sure if they have a legitimate suspect or not, but I would bet money that police have an idea of what happened...especially since they declared TaDarius dead without a body.

TaDarius' mother said she did not know that her son had been declared dead for almost 3 years. If investigators did not bother to let TaDarius' own mother know about this, I highly doubt they will share any information with the public anytime soon... unless they finally make an arrest. I hope that this happens soon, and that TaDarius' family gets the answers they deserve.

Case # 2-

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Katelyn Markham vanished in Fairfield, Ohio on August 14th, 2011. The then-22-year-old was last seen alive was last seen at her condo in Fairfield. Nearly two years later, Katelyn's remains were found at Big Cedar Creek in Cedar Grove, Indiana. Her death was labeled a homicide, but investigators were never able to determine her exact cause of death.

Several people have been investigated in Katelyn's case, including her fiancé John Carter. John was the last person to have seen Katelyn before her disappearance, and his alibi had a few inconsistencies. However, he's been investigated extensively and he has never been charged with anything related to Katelyn's death.

Others have been investigated too...but no arrests have ever been made. Katelyn's family members have not given up on solving her case.

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My thoughts on this case...

I think this was a pretty high-profile disappearance when it first happened. It's really sad that she was found dead and they still don't have any suspects. Like all unsolved cases, I really hope Katelyn and her family members find justice.