NATCHEZ, MI - A retired school teacher is dead and her 29-year-old son has now been charged with murder after police found a gruesome scene at the beloved teacher's home.
Zachary Lavel Jackson has been charged with first-and-second-degree murder, mayhem, and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his mother, 62-year-old Lana Brown Bradley, Law & Crime reported.
According to the Adams County Sheriff's Office (ACSO), deputies responded to a welfare check at Bradley's home in Natchez on April 4 after a family member reported her missing.
ACSO Sheriff Travis Patten said that upon arriving on scene, deputies found evidence of "the most heinous crime that I've ever witnessed in my entire life."
Jackson was initially only identified as a member of Bradley's family when ACSO informed the public about the horrific crime. He was later confirmed as Bradley's youngest son.
Bradley reportedly lived with her two younger sons, including Jackson. Her middle son was working and out of the house on April 4, and her oldest son had been trying to contact her for two days but was not getting a response. He then called police for a welfare check.
Patten said that when deputies arrived at Bradley's home, they were immediately met by the smell of chemicals, saying, "somebody had been cleaning up." He added that the floor was "extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that."
Bradley was nowhere to be found. As investigators searched the home, one of them heard splashing coming from a bathroom. Inside the locked bathroom was Jackson, along with a toilet that was filled with a "black substance."
Patten confirmed that the substance was Bradley's flesh, and Jackson was allegedly trying to flush the pieces of flesh down the toilet.
"He chopped her up in pieces. He dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her were going to have to do their due diligence, and they were going to have to go above and beyond to find her. And that's what we did," Patten said.
Outside the home, family members and deputies canvassed a wooded area near the property until someone yelled, "It's a head! It's a head!"
Patten said that some body parts were also found in a suitcase. Bradley reportedly started to fear for her safety with her youngest son in the house, and she was going to try to evict him.
Jackson allegedly threatened his mother the day before she was found dead because of her plan to evict him.
Family members told police that Jackson was mentally unstable.
However, Patten explained that Jackson was "very calculating" while committing the alleged crime. Jackson waived his right to a preliminary hearing in court and remains in custody at the Adams County Jail.
Zachary Lavel Jackson has been charged with first-and-second-degree murder, mayhem, and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his mother, 62-year-old Lana Brown Bradley, Law & Crime reported.
According to the Adams County Sheriff's Office (ACSO), deputies responded to a welfare check at Bradley's home in Natchez on April 4 after a family member reported her missing.
ACSO Sheriff Travis Patten said that upon arriving on scene, deputies found evidence of "the most heinous crime that I've ever witnessed in my entire life."
Jackson was initially only identified as a member of Bradley's family when ACSO informed the public about the horrific crime. He was later confirmed as Bradley's youngest son.
Bradley reportedly lived with her two younger sons, including Jackson. Her middle son was working and out of the house on April 4, and her oldest son had been trying to contact her for two days but was not getting a response. He then called police for a welfare check.
Patten said that when deputies arrived at Bradley's home, they were immediately met by the smell of chemicals, saying, "somebody had been cleaning up." He added that the floor was "extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that."
Bradley was nowhere to be found. As investigators searched the home, one of them heard splashing coming from a bathroom. Inside the locked bathroom was Jackson, along with a toilet that was filled with a "black substance."
Patten confirmed that the substance was Bradley's flesh, and Jackson was allegedly trying to flush the pieces of flesh down the toilet.
"He chopped her up in pieces. He dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her were going to have to do their due diligence, and they were going to have to go above and beyond to find her. And that's what we did," Patten said.
Outside the home, family members and deputies canvassed a wooded area near the property until someone yelled, "It's a head! It's a head!"
Patten said that some body parts were also found in a suitcase. Bradley reportedly started to fear for her safety with her youngest son in the house, and she was going to try to evict him.
Jackson allegedly threatened his mother the day before she was found dead because of her plan to evict him.
Family members told police that Jackson was mentally unstable.
However, Patten explained that Jackson was "very calculating" while committing the alleged crime. Jackson waived his right to a preliminary hearing in court and remains in custody at the Adams County Jail.
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