Last week, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office announced there was an investigation underway after a Stafford man’s body was discovered by a gravel road in a rural part of the county on the morning of Nov. 18.
The man had no known connections to the area where he was found. And preliminary investigations indicate that the victim was abducted, transported, and shot in the area of Caroline where he was found, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Days later, CCSO arrested two Fredericksburg suspects, 30-year-old Laurel Ainsleigh Thrift and 47-year-old James William Jackson.
Explaining how the pair were caught, CCSO said during the investigation, investigators went and interviewed people in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Fredericksburg. That provided critical leads that led CCSO to request assistance from Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, Secret Service, and Virginia State Police.
With the help of those agencies, CCSO said its investigators conducted surveillance, intelligence gathering, and high-tech investigations on several suspects in the Fredericksburg region.
On Friday, November 22, CCSO said its investigators along with Spotsylvania County deputies attempted to stop a vehicle near the intersection of Harrison Road and Plank Road. Thrift and Jackson got out and ran but were quickly caught. Officers suspected they tossed a gun, and VSP K-9 teams found two firearms, including a .40 caliber handgun matching the caliber of shell casings found at the crime scene, the Sheriff’s Office added.
Thrift is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to murder, conspiracy to commit abduction, and abduction.
Jackson is charged with 2nd degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of murder, abduction, conspiracy to commit abduction, and possession of a firearm by a violent convicted felon.
Both suspects are being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
CCSO said evidence suggests the killing was motivated by Jackson’s discovery that Thrift had a relationship with the deceased man whose identity hasn’t yet been released.
Watch: Sheriff Warns Scammers Coming to Homes to Collect
Follow the Watchful Eye on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to keep up with what’s happening in Virginia!
