DNA evidence identifies likely Elk City killer

GRANGEVILLE — Idaho County investigators identified a 47-year old Elk City man who died by suicide in October as the likely killer of LeAnna Maree Bailey, 58.

Investigators linked Billy Jack Jones to the murder using DNA evidence obtained through blood smears and material under Bailey’s fingernails obtained during an autopsy, according to a Wednesday news release.

“At this point, investigators believe probable cause exists that Billy Jack Jones killed LeAnna Maree Bailey and if he were living, investigators would be arresting him for the crime,” the news release said.

Jones, however, shot himself in the head Oct. 8 after investigators talked to him and scheduled him for a polygraph examination.

Bailey had been living since about May at her brother’s property at 701 Wild Rose Lane in Elk City. She was at the property to clean up and prepare the property for sale following the death of her father.

On Sept. 14, the news release said, Bailey had dinner with Sabrina Chambers at the property. Chambers left about 8 p.m. and was the last to see Bailey alive. She and Bailey had agreed to meet the following day, and the two gave each other a hug before departing.

As Chambers drove off Wild Rose Lane onto Mother Lode Road, she met Jones driving a Ford pickup truck and flashing his lights to get her attention. Chambers and Jones had been in a long-term relationship that had recently ended.

Jones seemed excited, according to the news release, and his arms were covered in scratches. He explained to Chambers that he had been picking mushrooms in the dark on the hillside across from Wild Rose Lane. At a later date Jones admitted to Chambers that he had been secretly watching her and Bailey, and he believed Bailey was the cause of his breakup with Chambers.

Previously Bailey and Jones had met on Main Street in Elk City and gotten into an argument. Bailey allegedly had caught Jones stealing items from her brother’s property while he and Chambers were hired to help clean up.

Jones reportedly was upset that his altercation with Bailey had been witnessed by local residents. Jones later told investigators that “you don’t do that to someone in a small town.”

On Sept. 15, Bailey failed to show up for her meeting with Chambers. Chambers drove to the Wild Rose Lane property and found broken tinted glass in the driveway, and Bailey’s car was gone. She contacted Bailey’s brother, and after a few days the brother reported his sister as a missing person.

On Sept. 18 a hunter found Bailey’s car over an embankment about 3 miles from the Wild Rose Lane property and notified the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office. Bailey’s body was found in the back of the vehicle.

Investigators believe Bailey was killed while sleeping in her car at the Wild Rose Lane property. The rear seat of the vehicle had been folded down and was converted to a sleeping area with blankets and mats. Investigators said it appeared the assailant broke out the driver’s side rear window of the vehicle and attacked her from that doorway. Bailey was severely beaten, with bruising on her hands, arms, shoulders, face and head. Her nose was broken, and she had a skull fracture. She also had been strangled and shot three times with a .22 caliber weapon. Any of these injuries could have caused her death, the news release said.

Investigators found blood smears on paperwork in the closed glove compartment and front passenger door pockets. They suspect the killer searched through the door pockets and glove compartment searching or looking for something. One of those blood smears was swabbed for DNA analysis.

About Sept. 15 Chambers noticed a significant scratch on Jones’ right upper lip. He was interviewed several times but denied killing Bailey. Jones arrived for a scheduled polygraph examination, but the examiner canceled it before starting because his heart rate was elevated and erratic. Investigators questioned him about the use of methamphetamines, but he denied using drugs other than occasional marijuana. Jones agreed to see a doctor about his heart irregularities and meet investigators the following week for a polygraph examination.

After that interview, Jones met with Chambers and she made it clear their relationship was ended. At some point, she told Jones: “I’m having a hard time believing someone I shared my bed with for 13 years is capable of killing someone.” Jones began crying and walked away without a denial.

Chambers and other citizens in the area told investigators that, following Bailey’s murder, Jones no longer carried a duffle bag on the front of his all-terrain vehicle, which had contained extra clothes, survival items and a short metal-handled Estwing axe.

When investigators were called to Jones’ home on Oct. 8, they found he had killed his two dogs, shot a propane tank in the upstairs area of his home that failed to explode or ignite then shot himself in the head with a .44 Ruger carbine rifle. In the area of Jones’ body, investigators found methamphetamine, marijuana and paraphernalia. Three empty .22 cartridges also were found on a table.

The DNA forensic report was received Wednesday from the Idaho State Police forensic lab in Boise. A mixture of DNA from Bailey and Jones was found in the blood smear on the front passenger door pocket. Fingernail clippings gathered at Bailey’s autopsy were analyzed and another mixture of her and Jones’ DNA was found.

“Although investigators consider this a senseless tragedy,” the news release ends, “LeAnna’s fortitude and fight with her killer provided critical evidence in identifying her assailant. LeAnna truly had the last word.”

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.