Body of missing man found in abandoned Jasper home identified

Photo courtesy of ETB Photojournalist Rita Shipp.

On 2/16/24, the Jasper Police Department took an incident report from family members that 66-year-old Phillip Bruce Jones was missing and had not been seen for several weeks. The family advised officers that the last place that Jones was seen was a friend's residence inside the city limits. Officers went to several locations provided by the family but were unable to locate Jones. Family members also stated that Jones was suffering from Lung Cancer.

On 2/21/25, while on patrol, a Jasper PD officer was flagged down by a friend of Jones who stated that he had found the body in an abandoned home near Farm to Market 777. The Criminal Investigation Division and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office were notified because the body was in their jurisdiction.

Investigators were told by the person who located Jones that he would frequent the old, abandoned home and that he knew how to look for him there. The investigation showed no signs of foul play.  JP Precinct 2 Raymond Hopson ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.  

Jasper Police Chief Garrett W. Foster