A man from Mississippi faces serious charges after authorities allegedly discovered him attempting to dispose of his mother’s remains in a toilet. The local sheriff described the incident as one of the most horrific crimes he has ever encountered.
Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., aged 29, is accused of first-degree and second-degree murder, along with charges of mayhem and evidence tampering concerning the death of his 62-year-old mother, Lana Brown Bradley, a former educator.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies were initially called to Bradley’s residence in Natchez on April 4, following her family’s concerns about her disappearance.
Initially, Jackson was recognized merely as a relative, but subsequent investigations revealed he was indeed Bradley’s son.
Jackson allegedly murdered and dismembered Bradley, attempting to flush her remains down the toilet at her home, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
“This stands as the most appalling crime I’ve ever witnessed,” stated Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten to WJTV. “It’s the kind of case you can’t forget, one that lingers with you,” he remarked, reflecting on the gravity of the situation.
Deputies were called to Bradley’s home after her oldest son could not reach her the previous day. Two of Bradley’s other sons lived with her.
“As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house. 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,” Patten explained.
Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom where deputies allegedly saw a black substance in the toilet.
Authorities seen at the home of Lana Brown Bradley in Natchez, Miss. (Adams County Sheriff’s office)
“I can say what was in the toilet, and it was her flesh. He chopped her up in pieces and dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her would have to do their due diligence to find her, and that’s just what we did,” the sheriff said.
Authorities stated that Jackson had allegedly placed his mother’s body parts in a suitcase and flushed the rest down the toilet after dismembering her. Bradley had threatened to evict her son from the home, according to the sheriff, who cited interviews with family members stating that Jackson was mentally unstable.
Law enforcement at the home of Lana Brown Bradley in Natchez, Miss. (Adams County Sheriff’s Office)
However, Patten noted that Jackson was “very calculating” when he allegedly committed the crime.
“He had threatened her the day before because she was looking to have him evicted from the home. She was in the process of doing so and had just gone to court the day before to have him removed from the home,” Patten explained.
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