YORK COUNTY, Va. — UPDATE: Authorities arrested a fourth suspect connected to the murder of a Richmond woman who was found on the side of the road in York County last weekend.
Jayquan Jones, 20, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. He is being held at the Richmond City Jail.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office (YPSO) said on Thursday they were looking for Jones and that he was considered armed and dangerous.
YPSO said on the morning of May 6, a jogger came upon 25-year-old Ty'osha Mitchell's body lying on the side of Old Williamsburg Road, in the area between Riverwalk Townes townhouses and the Colonial Parkway entrance.
On Wednesday, authorities arrested three people in connection to the murder: 24-year-old Jamica Danielle Langley of Richmond, 18-year-old Acacia Jackson of Norfolk and 24-year-old Hezekiah Janile Carney of Norfolk.
All three are currently in Portsmouth City Jail and are expected to transfer to Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail soon.
Court documents show Portsmouth police arrested the three suspects Wednesday on the sea wall on Water Street. York County deputies alerted Portsmouth detectives that someone spotted the trio walking near Downtown Portsmouth.
Carney, a convicted felon, had a weapon and drugs on him, according to court records. Previous convictions include malicious discharge of a firearm at an occupied building in Norfolk in 2020.
At a press conference Wednesday, York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery said investigators believe the three suspects took Mitchell from her Richmond home, brought her to the woods off Old Williamsburg Road and fired at least 14 shots, hitting her eight times.
Sheriff Montgomery said the motive seems to be gang-related. Through an early investigation, it appears Mitchell had close ties to the organization and was around them frequently, said the sheriff.
However, Sheriff Montgomery said their attention turned to finding Jones.
“We had some info yesterday that he was in the City of Richmond area, but we have not been able to locate him, and our information now is he may have fled this area,” he told 13News Now Thursday. “And that’s why it’s important to get his picture and hope that somebody gives us a call so we can arrest him along with the other three for this crime.”
Days ago Mitchell’s mother, Patricia Troy, pleaded with the public to help find out who did this to her daughter.
“All I keep thinking is that I wish I could’ve been there with her to protect her,” she said. “That’s all I could think about,” Troy said.
