A California grandmother’s failure to pick up her grandchild triggered an urgent search that ended in tragedy days later, when authorities found her body inside her car in a church parking lot and filed murder charges against her son.
Emmanuel Wesley, a 23-year-old Santa Ana resident, has been charged with murder in the death of his mother, 61-year-old Theresa Jones.
Prosecutors say Wesley shot Jones twice in the back while she was sitting behind the wheel of her vehicle outside the Fullerton Police Department on the Fourth of July. He is then accused of moving her body into the passenger seat and driving off.
Concern grew on July 7, when Jones did not arrive to pick up one of her grandchildren and stopped responding to repeated phone calls from family members, prosecutors said.
Theresa Jones’ family said the 61-year-old was remembered for her infectious personality and steadfast love for her children and grandchildren. (GoFundMe)
On July 11, four days after she was reported missing, officers discovered Jones’ body in her vehicle, which had been left in the parking lot of a Fullerton church. Authorities said she had suffered two gunshot wounds to the back.
Investigators said surveillance footage captured key moments connected to the fatal shooting.
The exterior of the Fullerton Police Department, where investigators say Theresa Jones was fatally shot before her vehicle was driven away. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Video allegedly shows Jones pulling up outside the Fullerton Police Department around 2:46 p.m. on July 4 with Wesley riding in the back seat.
Authorities say Jones suddenly slumped over in the driver’s seat before Wesley climbed out of the back seat, pushed her body into the passenger seat, got behind the wheel and drove away.
“The death of any human being is a tragedy,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “For someone to kill their own mother is another level of depravity. We will do everything we can to pursue justice for Ms. Jones and everyone who loved her.”
Theresa Jones is pictured holding a baby in a family photo shared after her death. (GoFundMe)
Jones’ family remembered the 61-year-old as a devoted Christian whose faith shaped every part of her life.
“She loved her family fiercely, always putting the needs of her children and grandchildren above her own,” the family wrote in a GoFundMe created to help cover funeral expenses. “To know Theresa was to love her.”
Loved ones described Jones as smart, funny and full of life, saying her vibrant personality earned her the nickname “Cardi B.”
The fundraiser recalls the family’s agonizing search after Jones unexpectedly failed to pick up her beloved grandchild, ending with the heartbreaking discovery of her body a week later.
“We want to honor the beautiful life Theresa lived and the immense love she poured into the world,” the family wrote. “The shock of her loss has left a profound, empty space in the hearts of everyone who loved her.”
Wesley has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail in the Orange County Jail.
If convicted of murder and the firearm enhancement, prosecutors say he faces up to 50 years to life in prison.
