Father suspected of 'murdering seven-year-old son and feeding his remains to pigs'

  • Michael A. Jones of Piper, Kansas has been charged with firing a gun at his wife and child abuse
  • A police source reportedly fears that his missing son's remains may have been fed to pigs 
  • Jones was charged with shooting at his wife in their Kansas City home
  • Jones and his wife reportedly lived in deplorable conditions with eight children aged one to 11
  • Police got a tip that they should look for their missing son's remains on the Piper, Kansas property
  • Cops found human remains in a barn, but they have not yet been identified

By Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Police fear that a man may have beaten his seven-year-old son to death and fed his remains to pigs.

Michael A. Jones, 44, of Piper, outside of Kansas City, has been arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated battery and child abuse after cops responded to a domestic violence call on Wednesday, according to News2.

Jones had allegedly shot at his 29-year-old wife, Heather. As the investigation progressed, authorities got a tip to check the property for the remains of Jones' seven-year-old son, who had been missing for several months.

The next day, authorities found human remains near a barn on the rural property in Piper, where Jones lived with his wife and eight children ranging in ages from one to 11.

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Michael A. Jones, 44 (pictured), has been charged with child abuse, as well as aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a firearm against his 29-year-old wife Heather Jones 

Michael A. Jones, 44 (pictured), has been charged with child abuse after police investigated a domestic violence call

Jones' charges were upgraded to 'torturing or cruelly beating' his missing son. Heather Jones is not the mother of the boy, who may be dead.

The other eight children reportedly lived in deplorable conditions. They were also home schooled, according to Kansas City Star.

'Their house was horrible,' one woman who asked for anonymity told WSFA. 'Their house was just filthy. The kids lived in filth. Trash everywhere. Dried food all over the house.'

Heather Jones bought the pigs in September, around the same time authorities think the child may have been killed.

A police source reportedly told the outlet that authorities feared that the boy's remains may have been fed to the swine, according to KPTV.

Former babysitters said that several people had complained to child services about alleged ill-treatment of the children. It's unclear if anything was done.

'For all those girls to have to witness what their brother went through and to carry the burden that something happened to their brother is horrible,' said one unnamed former babysitter.

Michael Williams, the brother of Jones' wife, told the NBC affiliate KSHB about abuse he says his sister and the children allegedly had to endure over the years at the hands of Jones. 

'There are bullet holes in the walls of that house. So I'm sure you can understand what terror may have been going through that household daily.'

Jones, the owner of a bail bonding business, is being held at the Wyandotte County Jail on a bond of $10million. 

Authorities ask that anyone with information about the case call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

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