More details have been released in the case of a Round Lake Beach mother who allegedly beat her 6-year-old child, leading to his death, and then took his body on the train to Chicago in July.
Jamie L. Jones, 29, of the 1800 block of Cedar Lake Road in Round Lake beach, was arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death in connection with the murder of her 6-year-old son, Carl Rice Jr. Her bond was set at $3 million.
During a bond hearing in court on Tuesday, Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Scheller said that an autopsy showed the child had bruises across a majority of his body, including his face, head, back, torso, and inside of his mouth. The boy had also suffered from a brain hemorrhage.
Scheller said that Jones allegedly sent a social media message to the boy’s father telling him that she had beaten the child worse than she ever had before.
Jones told police that she had beaten Carl Rice Jr. with a belt on June 24 and 25. She took him to a doctor when the child complained about a headache, stomachache, and stomach flu.
Jones told police that on July 1 she supposedly found him dead in their home. She then took Carl Rice Jr. and her other child by taxi cab to a nearby Metra train station to go to her parent’s house in Chicago. During the court appearance on Tuesday, Scheller said that camera footage from the train station showed Jones carrying a child who appeared stiff.
When Jones got to her parent’s house, she told her mother that “something appears to be wrong” with the child. Jones’s mother then called paramedics. The 6-year-old was found to be deceased, and police were notified. The Cook County Medical Examiner determined that the boy had probably died six to eight hours before.
Police officials said that the investigation into the incident had been pending while they waited on the Cook County Medical Examiner to rule a final cause and manner of death. On Friday, the Cook County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide due to “multiple injuries from child abuse.”
On Saturday, detectives asked Jones to come to the police department for an interview. Jones was arrested by detectives after they found out she was wanted on a failure to appear on a battery charge in Lake County. She was taken into custody for the warrant and was also being held pending charges in the death of Carl Rice Jr.
Authorities said that the boy has a 9-year-old sister who is currently under supervision by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). She is currently living at a relative’s house.