Dad of Teen Found Dead With Hands Cut Off Could Get Death Penalty

A man accused of murdering his 13-year-old daughter in Ohio may face the death penalty after being indicted on a slew of new charges, including aggravated murder and rape, on Wednesday.

Darnell Jones-Ogletree was formally charged by a Lucas County grand jury in the killing of Kei'Mani Latigue, whose body was discovered in an abandoned house in Toledo on March 24.

The case is the first capital murder case in the city in over a decade.

The Context

Latigue was reported missing by family on March 18. Officials issued an abduction warrant for the child's father, Darnell Jones, on March 23.

A murder warrant was also issued for Jones after Latigue was found dead in Toledo on March 24. He was arrested the next day in Columbus.

What to Know

The indictment against Jones-Ogletree includes charges of aggravated murder, rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, endangering children, gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors say Jones-Ogletree abducted and killed his daughter sometime between March 17 and March 18, leaving her body in an East Toledo home that was later destroyed by fire.

Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said the facts of the case are among the most disturbing her office has ever seen.

"This case involves one of the most heinous sets of facts I've seen in more than 40 years," Bates said in a statement. "If not this case—then which case?"

Jones-Ogletree initially told local reporters that Latigue had called him because she was scared to be home alone and that he had come to check on her. He had not been named as a suspect at the time. According to police affidavits obtained by WKYC, he later admitted to dragging her to the abandoned house and killing her there.

The Toledo Blade reported that this marks the city's first death penalty case in more than ten years.

Ohio law allows for the death penalty in cases involving aggravated murder with aggravating circumstances, such as rape and the victim being a child.

Brian Steel, president of the Columbus Fraternal Order of Police, announced the arrest of Jones-Ogletree last month. He told reporters that the victim in this case was a teenager who was "murdered, raped, had her hands cut off, and her throat almost cut off."

The executive director of Lucas County Children Services (LCCS), Randy Muth, said at a news conference that the agency has three reports of possible abuse involving the 13-year-old. However, Jones was not involved, according to the agency.

"At no point in our involvement with Kei'Mani was there any mention of Darnell Jones by anyone in the family, by anyone involved with the family or by anyone associated with the schools," Muth said.

The reports stemmed from two separate allegations of "excessive physical discipline" from Kei'Mani's grandmother, Dorothy Latigue. The incidents happened in 2023 and 2024. One of the investigations was initiated by a teacher who called the agency.

What People Are Saying

Bates, in a statement: "We will try this case not in the court of public opinion, but in a courtroom, with a professional team defined by compassion, integrity and commitment to the rule of law. We are determined to deliver justice for Kei'Mani Latigue and for everyone in our community affected by this tragedy."

Brian Steel, president of the Columbus Fraternal Order of Police, in comments to reporters last month: "You've got not just a murderer—a violent murderer, a sadistic murderer—in our neighborhoods. It's appalling."

What's Next

A date for Jones-Ogletree's arraignment on the new charges has not been set yet. The case is expected to proceed with a pre-trial phase in Lucas County Court, where prosecutors will argue that the crimes meet the legal criteria for the death penalty.

Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.