By Patty Leon
Coastal Courier (Hinesville, GA) Staff Writer
pleon@coastalcourier.com
Saturday’s broadcast of “America’s Most Wanted” will profile the case of Jason Howard, a fugitive wanted for the alleged murder of his mother, Mildred, and step-father, Jewel Cleveland in their Gum Branch home in May 2004.
The show is a rerun of a program the series produced two years ago.
The Clevelands were last seen at a doctor’s appointment on March 30 and were officially reported missing on May 5, when a family friend received a cryptic letter asking her to check on the house and take care of the dog.
At first authorities treated the incident as a missing persons’ case because the couple was known to travel frequently and for extended periods of time.
However, detectives contacted a relative who met them at the missing couple’s home and discovered their wallet, IDs, purse and medication were all left behind. As police intensified the search, a cadaver dog was brought out to the property and their bodies were discovered buried in a shallow grave on June 15.
Autopsies revealed they were the Clevelands. Both had gunshot wounds to the head and Mildred’s body had evidence of a beating.
Authorities believe Howard, who is reported to be schizophrenic, may be responsible for killing and then burying the Clevelands. Howard has not been seen since the initial disappearance of the couple in 2004.
America’s Most Wanted airs Saturday night at 9 on Fox Channel 28 out of Savannah.
Coastal Courier (Hinesville, GA) Staff Writer
pleon@coastalcourier.com
Saturday’s broadcast of “America’s Most Wanted” will profile the case of Jason Howard, a fugitive wanted for the alleged murder of his mother, Mildred, and step-father, Jewel Cleveland in their Gum Branch home in May 2004.
The show is a rerun of a program the series produced two years ago.
The Clevelands were last seen at a doctor’s appointment on March 30 and were officially reported missing on May 5, when a family friend received a cryptic letter asking her to check on the house and take care of the dog.
At first authorities treated the incident as a missing persons’ case because the couple was known to travel frequently and for extended periods of time.
However, detectives contacted a relative who met them at the missing couple’s home and discovered their wallet, IDs, purse and medication were all left behind. As police intensified the search, a cadaver dog was brought out to the property and their bodies were discovered buried in a shallow grave on June 15.
Autopsies revealed they were the Clevelands. Both had gunshot wounds to the head and Mildred’s body had evidence of a beating.
Authorities believe Howard, who is reported to be schizophrenic, may be responsible for killing and then burying the Clevelands. Howard has not been seen since the initial disappearance of the couple in 2004.
America’s Most Wanted airs Saturday night at 9 on Fox Channel 28 out of Savannah.