(Updated as of 03/28/2025 @ 3:00p.m. Body camera footage from Darnell Jones’ arrest has been released)
The Toledo, Ohio community is still reeling from the horrific kidnapping and killing of 13-year-old Kei’Mani Latigue earlier this month. Her father has since been charged with the murder, and now body camera footage of his arrest has been made public.
Latigue was just days away from turning 14 years old when she disappeared from her Toledo home last week. Her father, Darnell Jones, 33, even spoke to WTVG right after her disappearance detailing the last time he saw her. Then, he went on the run. He was apprehended on Tuesday (March 25) in Columbus after a confrontation caught on police body cameras.
Body Camera Footage
The video obtained by WTVG shows the moments when a Columbus officer got out of his vehicle to confront Jones, who was wanted for Latigue’s murder. The officer can be heard asking Jones— who also goes by Darnell Jerome Ogletree— for his name before ordering him to show his hands, which were tucked in his hoodie pocket. At that point, Jones tells the officer “kill me, just kill me” as the officer pulled out his weapon.
Next, Jones pulls a gun out of his pocket, prompting the officer to fire multiple shots. Police eventually recovered Jones’ gun and a walkie talkie, according to WTVG. The suspect was shot in the arm, leg, and left side of his chest. While officials treated his injuries at the scene, Jones repeatedly told them he didn’t want to live.
“Listen, hey, nothing’s ever that bad,” an officer said to him to which Jones replied, “It is.” A warrant was first issued for Jones’ arrest on suspicion of abduction on March 23, five days after his daughter went missing. The warrant, obtained by PEOPLE, claimed Jones was the last person seen with Latigue on March 18.
The Autopsy Report
But after the teen’s dead body was discovered on Monday (March 24) in an abandoned, burned house, all eyes focused back on Jones. An autopsy report revealed Latigue was raped, had her hands cut off and was nearly decapitated in one of the most horrific cases Police Lieutenant Brian Steel said he had ever heard of. The motive behind the shocking murder is still under investigation.
A spokesperson for Spring Elementary School, the school Latigue attended, said she was set to receive a kindness award this week. Her 14th birthday is Friday (March 28). Her family asks all donations in the teen’s honor to be made to the Brown Legacy Memorial funeral home in Toledo.
How Police Cracked the Case
According to WTVG, it was Jones’ own girlfriend that presented key evidence allegedly connecting him to the murder. She told the news outlet Jones allegedly hid several items under her basement stairs, including his muddy work boots, which made her suspicious. The woman called police, who obtained a search warrant and took the evidence. The next day, Jones fled to Columbus.
He eventually called his girlfriend from Columbus and told her his location. She soon informed police, sparking the shootout and his arrest. Jones was taken to a Columbus hospital where he remains in stable condition. In addition to the murder and kidnapping charges, the 33-year-old is also facing a felony assault against an officer, according to records.