Missing Children Found Safe, Suspect in Custody

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Posted by: Staff
Date: Jul 22 2021 6:51 AM

 On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at approximately 6:38 a.m. (CST), the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) received a report of a disturbance in the area of U.S. Highway 231 and Kynesville Road.

Upon deputies’ arrival, contact was made with the female complainant, who stated her husband, and their two minor children, were traveling through Jackson County in search of medical facility due to her husband, Jonathan Gonzalez, being struck in the head during an altercations the night before in Bay County. The complainant said she was driving the couples’ 2016 Red Ford 300 hatchback bearing Florida tag HXQM58, when her husband suddenly began acting very strange and out of character.

She stated that Jonathan become extremely paranoid they were being followed by other vehicles and being tracked by devices planted in their car. Jonathan armed himself with a pistol and pointed it at the complainant while threatening her. When the complainant pulled to the side of the road, Jonathan got out of the vehicle and went around to the driver’s side, pulling the complainant from the car at gunpoint. The suspect, Jonathan Gonzalez, then drove off with the two children, leaving the complainant on the side of the road.

Deputies and investigators began to work on following any leads possible in attempt to locate the suspect and the two children.

An alert was quickly put out to all surrounding agencies so they could be on the lookout for the vehicle and its occupants. An arrest warrant for Jonathan Gonzalez for Aggravated Assault with a Firearm was obtained, and surrounding agencies were also notified of the outstanding warrant.

JCSO Investigators worked continuously throughout the day and night with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the United Stated Marshal’s Service, in order to locate these individuals. Investigators worked with FDLE to get a Missing and Endangered Child Alert disseminated which contained names, descriptions, and photos of the children.

On July 21, 2021, at approximately 11:15 a.m. (CST), the suspect, Jonathan Gonzalez, was located and taken into custody in Macon, Georgia, without incident.

Both of the children were with Jonathan Gonzalez and were unharmed.

Investigators with the JCSO, and all surrounding agencies in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, including the United Stated Marshal’s Service, worked tirelessly to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution. Multiple investigative tools were employed to locate the suspect, including the application for numerous search warrants, and subpoenas.

Sheriff Edenfield would like to thank every agency that played a vital role in assisting with the recovery of the children, and the apprehension of the suspect. Sheriff Edenfield is especially grateful to FDLE, the Southeast Regional U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Offices, the Florida Caribbean Regional U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and all other agencies in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama that assisted.

This is a great example of how working together with our law enforcement partners can bring a swift end to a very serious situation

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