A father who murdered his five kids before driving their bodies around for nine days and dumping them in a field had strangled four of the children and beat one to death, it has emerged. Timothy Ray Jones Jr., 33, was arrested in Mississippi on September 6 after a deputy said he smelled the stench of death in Jones' SUV at a traffic checkpoint. The father, from Red Bank, South Carolina, then led deputies to the bodies in rural Alabama. It emerged in grand jury indictments on Thursday that four of the children - Merah, eight, Elias, seven, Gabriel, two, and one-year-old Elaine - died 'by means of strangulation'. 'Killer': Timothy Ray Jones Jr., pictured being escorted from Smith County Jail in Mississippi last September, strangled four of his children and beat another one to death, according to newly-released indictments . Another of his children, six-year-old Nahtahn, was beaten to death, according to the indictments, which have been shared by The State for the first time. It is not clear what he used to murder the children, but five belts were found in the home, the newspaper noted. After the killings, he put their bodies in separate plastic bags and into his black 2006 Cadillac Escalade SUV before driving around for more than a week and dumping them. On September 6, he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in Mississippi and officers noted that he was intoxicated and agitated. They found maggots, blood and children's clothes in his SUV, as well as handwritten notes about mutilating bodies, and the stench of bleach and death in the air, according to police reports. Murdered: One-year-old Elaine, left, and two-year-old Gabriel, right, were strangled to death last August . Loss: Seven-year-old Elias, left, and eight-year-old Merah, right, were also strangled before their bodies were put into bags in their father's SUV and driven for hundreds of miles before he dumped them in Alabama . Killed: Nahtahn, six, was allegedly beaten to death by his father, who feared the children would kill him, chop up his body and then feed it to dogs. Social workers said he was overwhelmed looking after the children . A check of Jones' license plate showed his ex-wife had reported him and the children missing three days earlier when he failed to bring them over for visitation. He led authorities to the five bodies on an Alabama hilltop near Pine Apple, 20 miles off Interstate 65 and about 65 miles south of Montgomery. Arrest: Timothy Jones, 33, could face the death penalty for allegedly murdering his five children . Jones told authorities that he murdered the children because he believed they 'were going to kill him, chop him up and feed him to the dogs', according to an arrest warrant. Last year, Jones' attorney said he had been treated for mental illness in the past and called for a mental evaluation to be performed on him as soon as possible. It emerged that he had earned a computer engineering degree and worked at a $71,000-a-year job. But nearly two years ago, he discovered his wife Amber was putting their children to bed then going to the neighbor's house and sleeping with their 19-year-old son, according to divorce papers. A therapist who saw Jones during their divorce described him as 'highly intelligent' and responsible, yet emotionally devastated and angry over his wife's actions. They divorced in October 2013 and Jones moved out with the children, but began to withdraw to the point where the woman who lived next door thought he and his family had moved away. Social services had visited the family three times to investigate conditions in the three years before the murders, and a recent report said Jones seemed 'overwhelmed' caring for the children. Scene: The father and his five children vanished from his Red Bank, South Carolina home last August . Found: After being stopped at a traffic checkpoint in Mississippi last September, officers noticed blood in his vehicle and the smell of bleach, and he led them to the bodies of his five children on this Alabama hilltop . He was reported missing with the children on September 3. Authorities said they believed the children had been killed shortly after they were last seen at school on August 28. Jones has been charged with five counts of murder and remains in jail. Prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty, but Jones' attorneys have said it is likely, The State reported. In his teenage years, Jones went on a crime spree in Illinois. He was arrested on a cocaine possession charge March 30, 2001, in Carpentersville, Illinois. Six months later, when he was 19, he was arrested for stealing a car, burglary and passing forged checks.
Timothy Ray Jones Jr. was arrested last September after Mississippi deputies smelled death in his SUV during a DUI traffic stop .
They found blood, maggots and handwritten notes about mutilating bodies in his truck and he then led them to the bodies in rural Alabama .
It has now emerged in grand jury indictments that he strangled four of the children: Merah, eight, Elias, seven, Gabriel, two, and Elaine, one .
He also beat one of the children, six-year-old Nahtahn, to death .
Jones said he feared they would chop him up and feed him to dogs; social workers noted how the father was 'overwhelmed' looking after the kids .
A father who murdered his five kids before driving their bodies around for nine days and dumping them in a field had strangled four of the children and beat one to death, it has emerged. Timothy Ray Jones Jr., 33, was arrested in Mississippi on September 6 after a deputy said he smelled the stench of death in Jones' SUV at a traffic checkpoint. The father, from Red Bank, South Carolina, then led deputies to the bodies in rural Alabama. It emerged in grand jury indictments on Thursday that four of the children - Merah, eight, Elias, seven, Gabriel, two, and one-year-old Elaine - died 'by means of strangulation'. 'Killer': Timothy Ray Jones Jr., pictured being escorted from Smith County Jail in Mississippi last September, strangled four of his children and beat another one to death, according to newly-released indictments . Another of his children, six-year-old Nahtahn, was beaten to death, according to the indictments, which have been shared by The State for the first time. It is not clear what he used to murder the children, but five belts were found in the home, the newspaper noted. After the killings, he put their bodies in separate plastic bags and into his black 2006 Cadillac Escalade SUV before driving around for more than a week and dumping them. On September 6, he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in Mississippi and officers noted that he was intoxicated and agitated. They found maggots, blood and children's clothes in his SUV, as well as handwritten notes about mutilating bodies, and the stench of bleach and death in the air, according to police reports. Murdered: One-year-old Elaine, left, and two-year-old Gabriel, right, were strangled to death last August . Loss: Seven-year-old Elias, left, and eight-year-old Merah, right, were also strangled before their bodies were put into bags in their father's SUV and driven for hundreds of miles before he dumped them in Alabama . Killed: Nahtahn, six, was allegedly beaten to death by his father, who feared the children would kill him, chop up his body and then feed it to dogs. Social workers said he was overwhelmed looking after the children . A check of Jones' license plate showed his ex-wife had reported him and the children missing three days earlier when he failed to bring them over for visitation. He led authorities to the five bodies on an Alabama hilltop near Pine Apple, 20 miles off Interstate 65 and about 65 miles south of Montgomery. Arrest: Timothy Jones, 33, could face the death penalty for allegedly murdering his five children . Jones told authorities that he murdered the children because he believed they 'were going to kill him, chop him up and feed him to the dogs', according to an arrest warrant. Last year, Jones' attorney said he had been treated for mental illness in the past and called for a mental evaluation to be performed on him as soon as possible. It emerged that he had earned a computer engineering degree and worked at a $71,000-a-year job. But nearly two years ago, he discovered his wife Amber was putting their children to bed then going to the neighbor's house and sleeping with their 19-year-old son, according to divorce papers. A therapist who saw Jones during their divorce described him as 'highly intelligent' and responsible, yet emotionally devastated and angry over his wife's actions. They divorced in October 2013 and Jones moved out with the children, but began to withdraw to the point where the woman who lived next door thought he and his family had moved away. Social services had visited the family three times to investigate conditions in the three years before the murders, and a recent report said Jones seemed 'overwhelmed' caring for the children. Scene: The father and his five children vanished from his Red Bank, South Carolina home last August . Found: After being stopped at a traffic checkpoint in Mississippi last September, officers noticed blood in his vehicle and the smell of bleach, and he led them to the bodies of his five children on this Alabama hilltop . He was reported missing with the children on September 3. Authorities said they believed the children had been killed shortly after they were last seen at school on August 28. Jones has been charged with five counts of murder and remains in jail. Prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty, but Jones' attorneys have said it is likely, The State reported. In his teenage years, Jones went on a crime spree in Illinois. He was arrested on a cocaine possession charge March 30, 2001, in Carpentersville, Illinois. Six months later, when he was 19, he was arrested for stealing a car, burglary and passing forged checks.
them in a field had strangled four of the children and beat one to death, it has emerged. Timothy Ray Jones Jr., 33, was arrested in South Carolina, then led deputies to the bodies in rural Alabama. It emerged in grand jury - Merah, eight, Elias, seven, Gabriel, two, and children, six-year-old Nahtahn, was beaten to in Mississippi and officers noted that he was intoxicated and agitated. They found maggots, as handwritten notes about mutilating bodies, and his father, who feared the children would kill Social workers said he was overwhelmed looking kill him, chop him up and feed him to the dogs', last September, officers noticed blood in his