South Carolina man admits to killing woman in Alabama 20 years ago, stuffing her remains in suitcase

Published 5:52 am Thursday, April 21, 2022

A South Carolina man has been charged with murder and abuse of a corpse after he called Alabama police to confess that he killed a woman 20 years ago and left her remains stuffed in a suitcase in the Alabama woods.

Bessemer police report that Brian Jones, of South Carolina, recently reported that he killed Janet Luxford in 2001.

Jones led police to an area of Harmer Street and Valley Creek where they discovered skeletal remains. The remains were recovered by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, which will use dental records and DNA to help identify the remains..

Although the remains have not been officially identified, Jones has been charged with Luxford’s death. Positive identification of the remains could take as long as nine months.

Investigators have confirmed that Luxford was listed as missing from California in 2002. Jones said he accidentally killed Luxford, who he said was his girlfriend, following a fight at a Bessemer hotel.

Jones, who is charged with murder and abuse of a corpse, is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $765,000 bond.