During an eviction at a residence on Deep Woods Road in Nicholls, Georgia, 35-year-old Steven James Ward Jr of Douglas was shot and killed on January 23, 2019. The same incident also claimed 25-year-old Kristian Bell; both bodies were initially concealed under the house, later buried in a makeshift grave that was covered by a fire pit.

Authorities say 21-year-old Christopher Lane Jones, reportedly under the influence of methamphetamines, shot Ward during the eviction and then shot Bell multiple times when she emerged from the house. Jones recruited two other men, 29-year-old Dedrick Allen Johnson of Nicholls and 25-year-old Joseph James Osburne Burch of Waycross, to help hide the victims. Kristian Bell’s family reported her missing, which led investigators to the property; the bodies were recovered on February 9, 2019 and identified by fingerprints.

Jones was located with help from the United States Marshals Service and later convicted on multiple counts, including malice murder and concealing a death; Johnson and Burch were also charged in connection with concealing the deaths. If anyone knew Steven Ward Jr or saw activity at the Deep Woods Road property around late January 2019, please share what you know.