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Taniesa L. Sullivan | The Weekly Ledger News | From the Office of DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — On December 6, 2022, at 7:55 p.m., Collinsville Police and Fire Department, DeKalb Ambulance Service, and patrol deputies with DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office responded to Watts Drive on an unresponsive female call. When first responders arrived, they found Sandra Jelks, 62 of Collinsville, deceased in the living room of her home.
Due to Sandra Jelks being the mother of a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office employee, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the 9th Circuit District Attorney’s Office, and Jacksonville State University - Center for Applied Forensics were requested to investigate the death. Investigators immediately developed a suspect, Bruce Lee Jones, 41 of Collinsville, and arrested him shortly after on unrelated charges. Bruce Lee Jones was identified as the son of Sandra Jelks.
PHOTO: Mug shot of Bruce Lee Jones, 41 of Collinsville, courtesy of Cherokee County Detention in Centre, Ala.
After a thorough investigation, Bruce Lee Jones was formally charged with Murder on December 9, 2022. Jones is being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center on a $1,000,000.00 bond.
DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “It’s unfortunate that this horrible crime happened in the peaceful community of Collinsville. Our DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office family has suffered a tragic loss and we ask for your prayers for the family of Sandra Jelks and the employee who lost a mother. I would like to thank the offices of Sheriff Jeff Shaver and District Attorney Mike O’Dell for Investigating this horrendous murder. I would also like to thank the Collinsville Police Department, Fort Payne Police Department, Rainsville Police Department, and the DeKalb County E.M.A. for their assistance in the investigation.”
“God Bless!” Concluded Sheriff Welden.