On August 22, 1992, 18-year old Andre Jones was found dead in his jail cell in Simpson County Jail. The thing surrounding this death is that it was never disclosed prior to his death why he was being held. Also, officers stated it was a suicide but his parents state that Jones had no previous suicidal behavior or battled depression.

With all of these inconsistencies on the table, his parents—Esther and Charles Quinn—would begin inquiring into the details surrounding this young man’s death.

Conflicting Accounts of the Stop

Jackson Police ran into Andre Jones and his girlfriend Tanisha Love at around midnight on August 22. Jones was taking Love home after leaving his house shortly before. The police had set up a sobriety checkpoint just outside of the Brandon city limits. It was as Jones was rolling up that he stopped and threw something out of the window, according to the police.

Upon investigation, the police claimed it was a handgun. They also state that they found an open can of beer and that the truck—which the Quinns said belonged to a friend of Andre’s—was stolen.

Love’s account stated that when the officers heard Jones’ name they left the truck and discussed something among themselves. When they returned they questioned Jones’ about his license—which he didn’t have on him. He was asked to step out of the truck and was immediately handcuffed. According Love both his wrists and feet were cuffed.

As expected, the police reject Tanisha Love’s account of the morning.

Charges Against Andre Jones

In talking with their son, the Quinns never found out why Andre was being held by police. He was even transferred to a county jail and they still had no information about his charges. Esther Quinn said that she spoke to Jones throughout August 22, hours of conversation, and neither of them was informed on why he was there.

The Jackson Police said that Jones was charged with an open container of alcohol and carrying a concealed weapon. He was also charged with driving a truck with an altered ID number and stolen plate tags. During their investigation, the Quinns found an inmate who was transferred with Jones who stated that the police used racial slurs and threats in an attempt to scare Andre.

In the conclusion of Andre Jones’ death, we go further into the Quinn’s investigation and more conflicting reports about his final hours.

REFERENCES
–https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/21/us/death-in-a-jailhouse-the-ruling-a-suicide-the-fear-a-lynching.html
-https://unsolved.com/gallery/andre-jones/

SIMILAR BLACK THEN MYSTERIES
–Jayson Artis: https://blackthen.com/black-mysteries-happened-jayson-artis/
–LeVena Johnson: https://blackthen.com/black-then-mysteries-the-death-of-levena-johnson/