May 5, 2025 • 54 mins
In this episode, we continue to follow a family's fight for answers in the death of their loved one, Crystal McCrory Jones. From challenging inconsistent documents to traveling to Washington, D.C., Crystal's little sister, Jana, keeps finding even more evidence that something about her case doesn’t add up. But just when it starts to feel like every door is closing, a surprising new development brings a glimmer of hope. Crystal’s story is far from over, and this episode proves why the fight for truth still matters.
Please sign the petition in support of reopening the investigation into Crystal's death: https://www.change.org/p/reopen-investigation-into-death-of-crystal-mccrory-jones
Connect with Jana / Stay up to date on Crystal's case:
Connect with Paige:
Intro and Outro by Jahred Gomes: https://www.instagram.com/jahredgomes_official
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reverie-true-crime--4442888/support.
Please sign the petition in support of reopening the investigation into Crystal's death: https://www.change.org/p/reopen-investigation-into-death-of-crystal-mccrory-jones
Connect with Jana / Stay up to date on Crystal's case:
- Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/janaglautigar
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justiceforcrystalmccroryjones
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justiceforcrystalmccrory
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3074535702847225
- Jana's Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/justiceforcrystalmccroryjones
- Justice Denied - A Sister's Fight for Justice by Jana Guyewski-Lautigar: https://tinyurl.com/bdcy6za3
Connect with Paige:
- BlueSky: reverietruecrime.bsky.social
- Instagram: instagram.com/reverietruecrime
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@paige.elmore
- Facebook: facebook.com/reverietruecrime
- Twitter/X: twitter.com/reveriecrimepod
Intro and Outro by Jahred Gomes: https://www.instagram.com/jahredgomes_official
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reverie-true-crime--4442888/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Reverie True Crime, your gateway to the
darkest corners of human nature, where we expose the hidden
truths of human depravity. These harrowing stories serve as a
sobering reminder to keep our senses keen and our awareness
sharp for predator's lurk in unexpected places, patiently waiting and observing.
(00:24):
Join us as we unravel mysteries, explore motives, and seek
justice for victims. As we bring awareness to these cases.
Listener discretion is advice.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hello, and welcome to Reverie True Crime. I'm your host page.
When we closed out Part four, the official story written
and altered about Crystal's death was crumbling to dust. The
coroner's report had errors scattered all throughout it, like forgetting
(00:59):
to mention Crystal's previous suicide attempt, incorrectly claiming she suffered
from atrial fibrillation, and listing outrageous medical conditions like diabetes, diarrhea, pneumonia,
and seizures, none of which were true and all easily
disproven through her medical records. Page three of the report
(01:24):
was pretty alarming. The address listed for Deputy Chuck Harris,
the officer who found Crystal was suspiciously off by a
single number, placing him as if he lived next door
to Tony and Crystal, when in reality he lived further away,
and though coroner Lewis Carter claimed no bullet had been recovered,
(01:49):
the police report contradicted him, suggesting the bullet had been
found while Carter was still on the scene. But Janna
knew the truth. She had been there. She had waited
until her sister's body was carried out at five forty
two pm, and the timeline told a different story, a
(02:11):
story where key evidence happened to pop up after the
crime scene had been left completely unsecured overnight. By late
May twenty twenty three more pieces fell into place. Jana
received the firearms analysis report that she had requested, but
(02:31):
oddly enough, it didn't come from the lab, but from
the Sheriff's office, days after she first asked for it.
The timing might have been a coincidence, but it seems
as if someone from the crime lab told the Sheriff's
office that she had asked for the report. The report's
dates proved that the evidence Sheriff Matthews claimed was being
(02:54):
tested back in February hadn't even been turned over for
testing until March, just two days before Jana's scheduled meeting
with the district attorney. Nothing was making sense. In the
last part of this series, we will find out even
more about what they tried so hard to cover and
(03:17):
where things stand today. Let's get into it. A document
stated that testing on the firearm began on May eighth,
twenty twenty three, and ended on May eighteenth, right in
the window of time when Jana had made her request
to the crime lab. Was this testing really quote in
(03:40):
process back in February when Sheriff Matthews sat across from
her and Dane and said, quote, we're doing things with
the firearm right now that you don't have any knowledge of.
We're having that firearm tested and doing some comparisons end quote.
But the fire Arms Analysis report stated clearly that on
(04:03):
March twenty seventh, twenty twenty three, a full thirty two
days after Matthews made that statement, the firearm was just
being received by Donna Stansbury from Detective Alan Urby. The
testing didn't even begin until early May. Even more suspicious,
(04:24):
the firearm was not sent for testing until five days
after Jena and Dane scheduled a face to face meeting
with District Attorney Penny Doucier, it was impossible to deny
evidence wasn't being processed in real time. Every move seemed
to be a reaction, as if officials were waiting to
(04:47):
see how much Jana and her family could find out
on their own before deciding what to test, when and why.
Sometimes it's not just what's said in a world, it's
what's carefully left out. When Janet finally sat down with
the Firearms Analysis report in her hands, she come through
(05:11):
every line, every piece of fine print. At the very
bottom and faint tight, she found a disclaimer quote evidence
descriptions displayed in brackets or agency provided. The word evidence
was even misspelled, another little detail that really didn't inspire confidence.
(05:34):
The report listed four total items, but the core ones
were Item zero one, one sealed box containing a nine
millimeter Ruger pistol, noted in brackets as from the jones residents.
Item zero three one sealed plastic bag containing a bullet
(05:56):
with bracketed information stating it came from the wall all
behind the bed of the Joneses home. But it was
item zero two that gave Jenna pause. The item was
described as quote one sealed plastic bag containing one fired
nine millimeter cartridge case in brackets WCS number one A.
(06:23):
That's it. No mention of where the casing was, no address,
no date saying when it was found, not even a
confirmation that this was the casing Tony claimed to find
a week after Crystal's death, the one that raised the
first real alarm bell for Jenna and her family. How
(06:45):
could every other item include a specific location like Crystal's bedroom,
the wall behind the bed, even their home address, and
yet this shellcasing, the one that sparked their earliest doubt,
was listed with nothing but a vague internal reference code.
(07:05):
WCS number one A meant almost nothing without context. Was
it the same casing. Why wasn't the actual discovery location
like the vanity, the makeup stand, the bedroom floor listed
as it was for the bullet and the gun. Was
(07:26):
it an omission or an intentional effort to blur the
lines Back On February sixteenth, twenty twenty three, Tony told
investigators he found the shell casing inside the home, a
full week after the scene had been cleaned and her
body removed. That alone should have made it one of
(07:48):
the most scrutinized pieces of evidence. Instead, it had the
least amount of detail. Jana had seen enough by now
to know that sometimes the silence around the evidence is
louder than the evidence itself. December twenty fifth, twenty twenty three,
(08:10):
most people were with family that day. Some were celebrating,
some grieving quietly. For Jana, it was a mix of both.
But during the holiday she reached out to doctor Frank Peretti,
the man who had performed Crystal's autopsy. She had questions
about the inconsistencies, about the medical findings that didn't line
(08:34):
up with Crystal's medical history, about the descriptions in the
autopsy report that didn't even match her sister's body. There
were too many unanswered questions that were and still are overwhelming,
and Jana needed to hear directly from the man who
signed off on so much of what this investigation was
(08:57):
grounded in. That day, she emailed doctor Frank Piretti, respectfully
pointing out many errors in Crystal's autopsy report, including the
wrong spelling of her name, incorrect descriptions of her hair
and eye color, no acknowledgment of her past spinal fractures,
(09:18):
failure to note her full hysterectomy and concerning bruises and
injuries she and Julie saw and took pictures of. Jana
made it clear with supporting photos and records, and asked
for clarification to ensure no mix up happened since Crystal
had been cremated. We're going to go through the emails
(09:41):
between Jana and doctor Paretti up until twenty twenty five,
and then we'll backtrack to separate information from twenty twenty
four and twenty twenty three. December twenty sixth, twenty twenty three,
Doctor Piretti's office, through someone named Ma Michelle, responded saying
(10:02):
they were looking into the matter and would get back
with her soon. Two days later, Jana politely checked back
in and doctor Peretti finally got back to her with corrections.
He acknowledged the name and hair color were wrong. He
said eye color can change after death. He claimed no
(10:23):
old fractures were seen because they typically examined the interior
vertebrate only unless informed otherwise beforehand. He corrected the report
to reflect that Crystal had a hysterectomy. He insisted there
was no bruising noted on her thighs or wrists. At autopsy,
(10:44):
explaining what they saw could have been post mortem lividity.
He said no fingernail was missing during her autopsy, suggesting
it may have been lost later. He also sent her
the corrected autopsy report. Jenna acknowledged his response, but she
also let him know that she had crime scene photos
(11:06):
showing the missing fingernail and bruising that developed later during
funeral preparation. January first, twenty twenty four, Jena shared the
correct report with other contacts, commenting on how surprising it
was that so many corrections were even needed. January twenty third,
(11:29):
twenty twenty four, she emailed doctor Peretti again after reviewing
autopsy photos, asking about a yellow baglike object with blue
tape visible in one photo, wondering if Crystal's hands had
been bagged. The next day, doctor Paretti responded bluntly hands
(11:50):
were not bagged. March twelfth through the eighteenth of twenty
twenty four, Jena reached out again, asking if the bedding
like the comforter, sheets, etc. Had been collected along with
Crystal's body. Doctor Peretti replied that no bedding was received.
When Crystal's body arrived at his office, she was wearing
(12:13):
a robe and pennies, along with a noticeably blood soiled sheet,
which was disposed of. The robe and pennies were returned
with the body. Jana also asked if the West Carol
Sheriff's Department told him to look for a shell casing.
He answered that as a forensic pathologist, he automatically examines
(12:36):
for things like shellcasings without being told. She clarified that
West Carroll Sheriff's Department claimed he had called them on
February fifteenth, twenty twenty three to report that no shell
casing had been found. Jana wanted to verify whether that
conversation ever happened, but Peretti did not confirm whether that
(12:58):
conversation took place. April third through the ninth of twenty
twenty four, Jena asked if there was any sketch or
diagram that came with Crystal's autopsy report. Doctor Piretti simply
replied no. April fifteenth, twenty twenty four, Jena requested a
(13:21):
copy of the invoices and payments related to Crystal's autopsy.
Doctor Piretti's office replied that West Carol Parish Corner's office
would have those records because they are the official keepers
of those documents in Louisiana. December twenty third and twenty
fourth of twenty twenty four, Jena asked if she could
(13:44):
receive a copy of doctor Paretti's case notes. He declined,
saying his case notes are considered work product and all
information was included in the autopsy report. January eleventh, twenty two,
twenty five, she emailed to ask whether any X rays
had been taken during Crystal's autopsy. That message, as of
(14:08):
the report, had yet to receive a reply back. On
May fifth, twenty twenty four, for Jana, the road to
justice had long since left the bounds of Oak Grove.
Alongside private investigator Shila Wassaki, as well as Ray Andreachio,
Pam Cruise, and Sherri Smith, she traveled to Washington, d C.
(14:33):
To speak for Crystal and for so many others whose
cases had been closed too quickly or ignored altogether. Each
woman carried the weight of a different name, a different loss,
a different injustice, but the mission was the same, to
stand up for those who no longer had a voice.
(14:54):
They met with lawmakers, shared their stories, and pleaded for
systemic change and how suspicious deaths were handled, especially when bias, influence,
or indifference had been allowed to create the outcomes. On
the very same day that Jena gave her speech to
Senator Bill Cassidy's councilman, the Louisiana State Police delivered their answer.
(15:19):
A formal letter was issued. They would not be reopening
Cristel's case. No new explanation, no offer of support, just
a simple dismissal, timed almost poetically to Jana's call for
accountability on Capitol Hill June seventeenth, twenty twenty four. In
(15:41):
a move that came with no warning, Sheriff Scott Matthews
retained legal counsel, and a letter that followed Matthew's attorney
made a single striking statement, quote, Cristel's case remains open.
It was a curious shift. For months, the West Carol
(16:02):
Parish Sheriff's office had been adamant that Cristel's case was
closed and that no further investigation was necessary. The Louisiana
State Police had said the same. But now after national
attention had begun to build after Jenna visited Washington, after
(16:22):
they started to feel a little public pressure, they wanted
to keep the file open, possibly to avoid more scrutiny,
perhaps so they wouldn't have to admit their faults. November
twenty fifth, twenty twenty four, over a year after Cristel's death,
the story finally aired on KNOE, a local Louisiana news station.
(16:49):
The segment put a spotlight on Crystal's case, hitting all
the points about the inconsistencies, the questions, and the family's
persistent calls for transparent creancy. It featured voices from the
people who had walked every step of the way Jana,
private investigators, and loved ones who refused to accept the
(17:11):
silence and dismissiveness as an answer. The community heard it,
strangers heard it. Crystal's name was out there. Her story
was finally out there in a big way. Despite months
of asking questions, pushing for answers, and collecting their own evidence,
(17:33):
Crystal's family continued to hear the same old thing from
officials in West Carroll Parish quote, there's nothing suspicious. Everything matches.
This case is closed in so many ways. The Sheriff's department,
the Coroner's office, and others were asking the family to
(17:54):
stop asking questions. But Jana had made a promise to
her sister that she will always keep. On August eleventh,
twenty twenty three, after contacting the Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, Janee submitted a public record's request concerning Tony
(18:15):
Jones's employment. The request was simple, was Tony employed at
Forest High School? And if so, how was this permitted?
Given that his teaching license had been revoked. The response
came from West Carroll Parish Superintendent Christy Boyd, confirming not
(18:35):
only his employment, but that he had been allowed to
continue working despite the revoked license. This added another thread
to a growing pattern. Rules were bent for Tony Jones,
and no one seemed willing to hold him accountable. But
the real weight of conflict of interest came not through paperwork,
(18:58):
but through something much more visible and impossible to ignore. Facebook.
Jenna had long wondered how deep Tony's ties ran with
the West Carol Parish Sheriff's Department. Now she had evidence
that those ties weren't just professional, they were personal. On
(19:19):
September twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, Crystal had once posted a
photo of Tony in a West Carroll Sheriff's Department uniform,
showing how long he had been associated with the office.
February thirteenth and seventeenth of twenty twenty three, just days
after Cristel's death, Tony made many public Facebook posts, grieving yes,
(19:45):
but also defensive on each one. Heather hill Irby, the
wife of Chief investigator Alan Rby, could be seen interacting
with heart reactions and comments. On March tenth, twenty twenty three,
just one month after Cristel's death, Tony updated his profile picture.
(20:08):
He removed the photo of himself with Crystal and replaced
it with a photo of just himself. The change might
have gone unnoticed, but what stood out to Crystal's family
was the familiar name reacting to it, Heather hill Irby.
She gave it alike, the wife of the very man
(20:29):
tasked with helping lead the investigation into Cristel's death. A
few days later, after expressing to Sheriff Matthews that they
feared Tony would flee, Tony wrote a Facebook post that
said quote just a PSA. If anyone has any questions
about what is went on or if I'm leaving town,
(20:50):
please feel free to contact me and I will answer
any questions that you have. Thank you. It seemed like
he was being old what was asked in private A
day later, on March eleventh, his Facebook profile still showed
he was married to Crystal, but by March nineteenth, just
(21:12):
thirty eight days after her sudden and tragic passing, he
quietly changed his relationship status to single. Maybe all of
this wasn't seen as a big deal to other people,
but in light of everything else, the social media posts,
the pattern of defensiveness, the selective information being passed between
(21:33):
law enforcement and the family, how could you not be suspicious.
On March seventeenth, twenty twenty three, after thinking about Tony's
behavior and how he had repeatedly represented himself as law enforcement,
Jana decided to check the official West Carol Parish Sheriff's
(21:54):
Department website. What she found confirmed her concerns. Tony Owns
was still listed as a deputy. The family kept being
told that Tony was not employed with the Sheriff's office,
but he was still listed publicly. He even told Dane
that he had known both Sheriff Matthews and Detective Rby
(22:16):
for over twenty years, and his public Facebook profile still
listed his job title as patrol officer at West Carol
Parish Sheriff's Department. If he was no longer employed there.
No one in authority had asked him to change it.
Detective Rby even told Dane quite a few times that
(22:38):
Tony was a quote great guy. This long standing relationship
seems to be a conflict of interest, one that the
family had always said from the beginning, and one that
now could not be denied. On March eighteenth, Tony made
another public post. It was a shared te TikTok video
(23:01):
with this quote, when you destroy somebody's life with lies,
you better treat it like a loan. Karma will come
back to you and collect with interest. The timing was
no coincidence. It was the kind of post that is subliminal,
meant to send a message. Jana and her family had
(23:21):
only shared their concerns with law enforcement through the proper channels,
so how was he even aware of it? The answer
pointed to someone within the system tipping him off, and
for a grieving family already exhausted from stonewalling and discrepancies,
it was one more blow. Three days later, Tony shared
(23:45):
another TikTok video on his Facebook. The message in the
video read quote, sometimes people need to make you the
villain so they can live with what they did to
you for Jana and her family. It was jarring. Not
only was the post public, but it didn't read as grief.
It didn't read as heartbreak or pain. It read like bitterness.
(24:10):
And this was only the beginning. The very next day,
Tony shared yet another TikTok video. This time, the message
suggested romantic rejection. Quote, I'm done with mixed signals. If
you want me, then show me. I'm not gonna waste
my time yet again on someone I thought I could
(24:31):
build a future with. Who was this post for? Was
this a look into his mindset? A little over a
month after Crystal's death. The family couldn't help but notice
it felt like a breakup post, not something a grieving
husband would share. After all, Jena found in the laptop
(24:53):
his usernames and passwords to the popular dating websites plenty
of fish Match and e Harmony. A few days later,
on March twenty fifth, twenty twenty three, Tony made another
public Facebook status that said quote, in my opinion, some
people need to get medication and a life. I'm just saying.
(25:17):
This came one day after Crystel's oldest son, Corbin, received
what was left of his mother in a damaged box,
not properly or legally mailed, and without any documentation. Now,
let's take a little peek into Crystal's life. Crystal was
private in many ways, but her digital footprint told a story.
(25:42):
On February sixteenth, twenty twenty two, nearly one year to
the day before her death, Crystal searched for something surprising
semi colon tattoo for someone who had never liked tattoos,
who had always sworn them off. This this wasn't just
about body art. The semi colon is assembled deeply rooted
(26:05):
in mental health survival, representing the choice to continue a
sentence when it could have ended, a quiet nod to surviving,
to choosing life again and again. As someone with that
tattoo myself, I understand that she wanted to live and
not choose death. On March twenty eighth, twenty twenty two,
(26:30):
Crystal's next searches were telling in another way. She wanted
to know quote, do teenage girls require a father's discipline
to thrive? And is it best for a mom or
dad to discipline teenage daughters? Raising Hannah Cheanne Tony's biological
daughter from a previous relationship, came with constant pushback. Crystal
(26:55):
was the one left to set the rules and boundaries,
to be the disciplinarian while Tony deflected or defended. On
December fourteenth, twenty twenty two, she took a screenshot on
this date that showed something even more painful. Tony's cell
phone location was pained at the preferred inn in Bastrip, Louisiana,
(27:20):
while Crystal was actively on a phone call. The location,
the timing, the openness of it felt like he wasn't
even trying to hide anymore. On January twenty eighth, twenty
twenty three, Crystal sent Tony a sweet little update of
a photo of Hannah getting her driving permit, But it
(27:42):
wasn't long before the conversation turned into a dispute. Tony
had once again put Crystal in a tough position, this
time between Hannah and her biological mother, Holly. Holly had
long been absent, unreliable, and emotionally harmful, but now Christel
(28:03):
was being accused of quote trying to take her place.
I know it's shocking, but Tony didn't defend his wife.
He let Cristel take the heat again. And what happened
after Cristel died was even more telling. Just nine days
after her death, Hannah had a brand new Facebook page.
(28:26):
She was suddenly reunited online with her mother, Holly, and
even Holly's sister Tanya, who had been convicted in the
death of her own child Tony. He added them too.
He wasn't just reconnecting, he was slipping right into a
new kind of social life, one that Cristel had tried
(28:47):
her damnedest to protect Hannah from. They were bonding over
jokes and public posts, as if none of the grief,
the trauma, the questions had ever happened. At one time,
Crystel wasn't in the way of Tony's life. She was
his life until she became inconvenient to it. And that change,
(29:11):
which we have gotten glimpses of and search histories, social
media connections, and digital time stamps, the big picture deserves
to be seen not just as a list of red flags,
but as the final months of a woman screaming quietly
to be heard. On January seventeenth, twenty twenty three, Cristel's
(29:34):
heart was full. The month before her death, her oldest son, Corbin,
had just shared the news that he and his fiance
were expecting a baby. Cristel was going to be a
grandmother for the first time, and the joy in her
message to Jana radiated through every word. But that joy
(29:54):
didn't seem to be shared by the person who should
have celebrated right beside her. Tony's response, according to what
Cristel told their sister in law, Julie, was nothing short
of dismissive. Quote just great, that's an added expense when
we have to go to New York to see the baby.
This wasn't just a slip of the tongue. It was
(30:18):
simply part of a larger pattern, one that Julie would
later speak about directly to Sheriff Scott Matthews during their meeting.
Cristel was experiencing emotional abuse, the kind that attempts to
slowly chip away at someone's soul, but even still she
pressed on. On January twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, Cristel
(30:41):
took a screenshot of something she was super proud of,
a ninety six percent on one of her education courses.
She had also received a certificate of completion, a milestone
in her journey to go back to work as an
insurance agent. She was returning stronger, smarter, and more determined
(31:02):
than ever. That same day, she saved a quote that
was filled with hope and perspective. The words gave the
impression of someone with a future in mind, not someone
preparing to leave one behind. On January twenty ninth, twenty
twenty three, Crystal spent this day doing something that brought
(31:24):
her peace. Organizing. Photos she took show cabinet stocked and
sordid groceries placed just so neatness. An organization brought her
so much joy. It gave her a sense of control
in a world that so often felt totally unpredictable. And
it wasn't just about the physical space. It was about
(31:48):
emotional stability, about making her own calm in the storm.
On February first, twenty twenty three, Crystal received another email.
She had officially completed her education course. She was on track,
doing the work and taking steps towards taking back her independence,
(32:10):
becoming more certified, more empowered, more ready, Crystal was building
a life, not ending one. All of this, the texts,
their certificates, the groceries, the excitement about becoming a grandmother,
tells the story of a woman who was looking ahead,
(32:31):
a woman who was doing the hard work to rise
above any hardship she experienced. Now, let's get into some
current updates. On February twenty first, twenty twenty five, Jane
filed a formal complaint with the Arkansas Board of Medical
Examiners against doctor Frank Peretti, the pathologist who performed Crystal's autopsy.
(32:56):
The complaint detailed multiple errors and inconsistent in his report.
That same day, complaints were also submitted to the Department
of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Arkansas Attorney General's Office,
calling for further review of doctor Peretti's conduct and conclusions.
(33:18):
Three days later, a letter arrived from the Arkansas Attorney
General's Office in response to the complaint filed against doctor Peretti.
It marked the beginning of a formal review process that
the family hoped would finally hold someone accountable for the
mishandling of Crystal's autopsy. However, it states, quote, thank you
(33:42):
for contacting the Arkansas Attorney General's Office regarding doctor Frank Peretti.
The situation you describe in your complaint falls outside the
Consumer Protection Division's role and authority. We are not able
to facilitate a resolution of your complaint. You may wish
to reach reach out to the Arkansas State Medical Board
(34:02):
for possible assistance or information. You may wish to contact
a private attorney to discuss your legal rights and options
in this matter. A list of Arkansas attorneys can be
searched by city, county, and area of practice via the
Arkansas Bar Association's website for civil matters, and depending on
(34:23):
your income, you may qualify for assistance from Arkansas Legal Partnership.
We regret that we have been unable to assist you. However,
if we can be of service to you in the future,
please do not hesitate to contact us. On February twenty seventh,
the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division responded to the
(34:44):
complaints submitted Under What We Did, It says team members
from the Civil Rights Division reviewed the information you submitted.
Based on this information, our team determined that the situation
you described does not appear to be within the jurisdiction
of the federal civil rights laws we enforce. For that reason,
(35:06):
and in the exercise of our enforcement discretion, the Division
will take no further action regarding our correspondence. Even when
the Division has jurisdiction over a particular matter, it is
within the Division's discretion to determine whether to pursue a
particular matter for various reasons, including the availability of evidence,
(35:28):
among other considerations. What you can do your issue may
be covered by other federal, state, or local laws that
we do not have the authority to enforce. We are
not determining that your report lacks merit. Your state bar
association or local legal aid office may be able to
(35:49):
help with your issue, even though the Department of Justice cannot.
Thank you for taking the time to contact the Department
of Justice about your concerns. We regret that we are
not able to provide more help on this matter. On
April fifth, twenty twenty five, Jana received a response from
the National Association of Medical Examiners regarding the complaint that
(36:14):
she had submitted against doctor Frank Peretti. The response reads,
this letter is regarding your ethics claim received by the
National Association of Medical Examiners without a determination of the
merits of the claim. It is clear the information you
relate in your note to the National Association of Medical
(36:35):
Examiners Ethics Committee created distress and anguish over the events
themselves and the investigation slash reporting process. We express our
condolences and share in some of this frustration. The Ethics
Committee is bound to operate under the Association's bylaws, specifically
(36:55):
Article ten and the associated Policy and Procedures Rules. The
information you sent in was provided to the Committee and
formally discussed electronically March twenty fourth, twenty twenty five to
March thirty first, twenty twenty five. The first requirement is
for the Committee to determine if there is a jurisdiction
(37:17):
over the individual and the issues under the bylaws, and second,
if there is probable cause to believe the complaint is
well founded. In summary, the alleged conduct included claims that
the subject of the complaint, as outlined under the name Bylaws,
Section ten, Section one paragraphs. Abn C did not quote
(37:42):
refrain from exercising professional or personal conduct adverse to the
best interest and purposes of the Association or to the
medical examiner profession end quote, did quote materially misrepresent his
or her educational t training, experience, area of expertise, certification,
(38:05):
membership status within the Association, or official title or position
in a medical legal system. And did not quote refrain
from providing any material misrepresentation of data upon which an
expert opinion or conclusion is based end quote. After the
(38:25):
deliberations in voting by electronic means with a quorum responding,
the committee determined that the complaint is not well founded
and it will therefore be dismissed. The committee ruled that
the complaint reflects poorly on the office processes perhaps better
addressed by the Medical Board, but certainly outside of our
(38:47):
authority under the bylaws, or the issues do not rise
to the level of an ethical violation. The committee does
not reinvestigate cases nor insert itself into the associated medical
decision making. The issues in the claim are more related
to whether an individual office has appropriate policies and sufficient
(39:09):
procedures in place in an attempt to reduce these errors.
Error may occur, and when they do, it is certainly alarming,
but an error in and of itself is not an
ethics violation nor a misrepresentation. On April fourteenth, twenty twenty five,
(39:29):
a long awaited response from the Arkansas State Medical Board
arrived regarding the complaint against doctor Peretti. Buried within these
materials were page eight and nine copies of the original
police report that Dane and Jana had been denied in
their March twenty twenty three meeting with District Attorney Penny Educier.
(39:52):
It was a moment both validating and heartbreaking. After being
told they couldn't have it, the true had found its
way to them after all. After months of unanswered questions
and relentless searching for the truth, Jana finally heard back
from the Arkansas State Medical Board. Jana was holding on
(40:14):
to a little hope that someone, anyone, would simply acknowledge
the mistakes made during Crystal's autopsy. The Board's letter carried
a heavy and familiar sting of disappointment. They had reviewed
the complaint Jena filed against doctor Frank Peretti regarding the errors, inconsistencies,
(40:35):
and shocking mistakes in Crystal's autopsy report. Page by page,
the board outlined their decision. They determined that there was
no violation of the Arkansas Medical Practice's Act. Therefore, no
disciplinary action would be taken against doctor Peretti. In their words,
(40:55):
the autopsy findings, even with the acknowledged spelling errors and
factual and accuracies about Crystal's medical history, did not, in
their judgment, amount to gross negligence or incompetence under the
law's strict definitions. The board also said that while mistakes
(41:16):
might have been made, they believed the errors were not
sufficient to warrant action against doctor Peretti's medical license. They
noted that the concerns about the death certificate, how the
story was being altered, and the misstatements about Crystal's health history,
all the things Jana knew deep in her bones mattered,
(41:38):
were not, by their standard, evidence of intentional wrongdoing. In
the board's view, these were considered documentation errors, not signs
of misconduct. The board's response was clinical and completely detached.
It offered no comfort, no real acknowledgment of the grief
(42:00):
and injustice Jena and her family had carried since losing Crystal.
Another door seemed to close, but Jena knew this was
not the end. Her fight was never about tearing someone down.
It was about standing up for Crystal, for the truth,
and for every family who deserves better. Though the board
(42:23):
would not hold doctor Peretti accountable, Jana held onto what
mattered most, that she had honored Crystal's life and memory
by refusing to just let it go. April sixteenth, twenty
twenty five, more responses arrived, this time from the Arkansas
(42:44):
Attorney General's office and even the Governor of Arkansas. The
family's complaint against the Arkansas State Board of Medical Examiners
had reached the highest levels of state leadership. These responses
acknowledged the complaint, but whether real accountability will follow remains
to be seen. Jena posted these updates with the responses
(43:08):
in the Facebook group that she created Justice for Crystal
McRory Jones. In the comments, she wrote, quote, and this
is the guy who is directing me somewhere else? What
kind of professional is this? It was a screenshot of
Marshall Manow. Not sure if I'm pronouncing that correctly. It's
(43:30):
m E. Nou. He is pictured with a bag of
possibly food and a red solo cup, no shirt, belly
sticking out. Just a goofy pose and not something you'd
want to post and expect people to take you seriously
or think you're professional. It's honestly just tacky. Jana had
(43:53):
filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement,
urgently raising concerns about the West Carol Parish Sheriff's office.
The department had openly admitted that they had no written
policies or procedures for investigating homicides, suicides, or even unattended deaths.
(44:15):
When the response finally came, it felt like a gut punch.
The Commission acknowledged her complaint, but stated that it had
no statutory authority to investigate it. Instead, it referred her
to the Louisiana State Inspector General and the Attorney General's office.
(44:35):
It was a painful realization that the agency responsible for
overseeing law enforcement had no power to hold anyone accountable.
This is the reality that families all over, just like
Crystal's face. If the institutions created to monitor law enforcement
(44:57):
could not or would not step in, then who would
What recourse remained when the systems designed to protect failed
at every turn. It wasn't just a bureaucratic response. It
was a mirror held up to a broken system. And
still Jana refused to back down. In the midst of
(45:20):
relentless setbacks. There were rare but great moments of connection,
conversations that reminded Jana that not everyone was dismissive or indifferent.
She had shared so many painful responses. The ones that
dismissed her sent her running in circles or told her
(45:41):
nothing could be done. But on April twenty second, she
chose to spotlight something different. The few voices who did listen.
Jana wasn't just advocating for Crystal anymore. She was fighting
for every family who had been dismissed, for every grieving
loved one one who deserved real answers. She had reached
(46:03):
out to representatives and legislators across both Arkansas and Louisiana,
and while most responses led back to dead ends, a
few stood out. Louisiana Representative Joy Walters sent a simple
but powerful message, I will fight for your family. Courtney Fleming,
(46:26):
legislative assistant to Representative Matthew Willard, spent forty five sincere
minutes on the phone asking detailed questions about Crystal's case.
She promised to read Jenna's book about Crystal and look
into potential legislation, maybe even a law named in Crystal's honor.
(46:47):
In Arkansas, Representative Jeremy Wooldridge's office followed up with a
phone call after a Facebook message assuring Jenna they were
reaching out to the Public Health and Safety Office, and
Representative Ron McNair personally asked her to forward her concerns
to his own email. These weren't sweeping solutions, but they
(47:10):
were signs that some people were listening, and that still
meant something. Then came April twenty third, twenty twenty five.
The response from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders office hit hard.
Though doctor Frank Peretti was licensed and lived in Arkansas,
the office claimed they had no jurisdiction over his actions
(47:34):
because he'd been hired in a private capacity to perform
Crystal's autopsy in Louisiana. Jana had followed every official path,
filed complaints, requested records, pleaded for oversight. But now she
was told there was no investigation to be had. Even
(47:56):
though Crystal's autopsy had been altered months after her cremateation,
even though there were two case numbers and two sets
of findings, no one, they said, could be held responsible.
The only option left a private autopsy on someone who
had already been cremated. It was another brutal reminder of
(48:18):
how the system works or doesn't, and still Jena refuses
to give up, and finally something shifted, a door opened.
Jena had first traveled to Washington, d C. To raise
her voice. She had shared crystal story with anyone who
would listen and now her voice and Crystals will be
(48:43):
heard on a national platform. On May fifteenth, mark your calendars,
just two days before what would have been Crystal's forty
sixth birthday, True Crime News will air interviews with Jenna
on the CW channel. The case will be shared in
two televised segments, giving Crystal's story the space it always deserved.
(49:07):
For the first time in a long time, there was
something new in the air, Hope. On April twenty eighth,
Hope showed up in the form of an unexpected email
from the office of Louisiana Senator Royce Duplessis. They wanted
to meet. After so many closed doors, impersonal replies and
(49:30):
hollow apologies, this invitation felt like a moment of light,
a chance to speak directly to someone in power about
Crystal's case, a real opportunity. The meeting was scheduled for
May first, at eleven thirty in the morning. It would
be a chance to discuss the desperate need for accountability
(49:51):
and to say without any hesitation that Crystal McRory Jones
deserved better than what she had gotten, so so that
families should not have to climb mountains alone just to
be heard For Jana, every call, every email, and every
restless night had led to this, and she carried not
(50:15):
just her sister's story into that conversation, but the hope
and strength of every person who believes Crystal's life mattered.
On April twenty ninth, through a third party public records request,
the family obtained the second page of Crystal's toxicology report,
(50:35):
something they had never been given before. It changes everything.
The report showed that Crystal had two substances toprah maate
and diephenhydramine. I'm not sure if I'm saying those correctly.
Toprahmate top r am ate and diephenhydramine d E n
(51:02):
hy dr mn E at significantly elevated levels in her system.
According to nms Labs, it was the medical examiner's responsibility
to interpret those drug levels and explain their significance, but
doctor Frank Peretti never did. The implications were staggering. Based
(51:27):
on those levels, Crystal would have likely been too sedated
or impaired to even hold and fire a gun, as reported.
Now armed with this vital information, Jana and her team
have asked the Arkansas State Medical Board to reopen the
complaint against doctor Peretti, and the fight for justice continues
(51:51):
with more strength, more support, and more determination than ever before.
Crystal's story does not end with the paperwork or the
zipped lips from officials. It lives on through everyone who
loves her and will not let the truth be buried.
No matter how long it takes or how many doors close.
(52:16):
Her family will keep fighting. Jenna wrote a book called
Justice Denied, A Sister's Fight for Justice, The True story
of Crystal McRory Jones, and she is working on another
book called A World Without Your Story. She describes it
as a book about living after part of you has
(52:38):
left this world. It will be available soon and I
will definitely include the release of the book in future
bonus update episodes. Please do not forget to sign the
petition in the show notes to support reopening the investigation
into Crystal's death. You'll also see all the links to
(52:59):
follow Jenna on her social media accounts to stay up
to date on any new information regarding Crystal's case, as
well as the link to her first book. I'll also
be compiling the updates as they come in so I
can put together update episodes to keep you all informed
on what happens next on this road to truth and justice.
(53:23):
Thank you so much for listening to these episodes and
sharing them far and wide. It means a lot to
all of us, especially Crystal's loved ones. Okay, friends, until
next time, stay safe and take care.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Thank you for listening to this episode. As we close out,
let us not forget. Awareness is our greatest defense in
a world that can be dark and grim. Vigilance is
our beacon of hope when it comes to the cases
we have explored together that have remained unsolved. If you
happen to hold a piece of the puzzle, there to
step forward. As Arthur Lois McMaster bouge Hold once said,
(54:05):
the dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a
duty of the living to do so for them. Until
we reconvene, my friends, stay vigilant and stay informed.
You're listening to Reverie True Crime, your gateway to the
darkest corners of human nature, where we expose the hidden
truths of human depravity. These harrowing stories serve as a
sobering reminder to keep our senses keen and our awareness
sharp for predator's lurk in unexpected places, patiently waiting and observing.
(00:24):
Join us as we unravel mysteries, explore motives, and seek
justice for victims. As we bring awareness to these cases.
Listener discretion is advice.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hello, and welcome to Reverie True Crime. I'm your host page.
When we closed out Part four, the official story written
and altered about Crystal's death was crumbling to dust. The
coroner's report had errors scattered all throughout it, like forgetting
(00:59):
to mention Crystal's previous suicide attempt, incorrectly claiming she suffered
from atrial fibrillation, and listing outrageous medical conditions like diabetes, diarrhea, pneumonia,
and seizures, none of which were true and all easily
disproven through her medical records. Page three of the report
(01:24):
was pretty alarming. The address listed for Deputy Chuck Harris,
the officer who found Crystal was suspiciously off by a
single number, placing him as if he lived next door
to Tony and Crystal, when in reality he lived further away,
and though coroner Lewis Carter claimed no bullet had been recovered,
(01:49):
the police report contradicted him, suggesting the bullet had been
found while Carter was still on the scene. But Janna
knew the truth. She had been there. She had waited
until her sister's body was carried out at five forty
two pm, and the timeline told a different story, a
(02:11):
story where key evidence happened to pop up after the
crime scene had been left completely unsecured overnight. By late
May twenty twenty three more pieces fell into place. Jana
received the firearms analysis report that she had requested, but
(02:31):
oddly enough, it didn't come from the lab, but from
the Sheriff's office, days after she first asked for it.
The timing might have been a coincidence, but it seems
as if someone from the crime lab told the Sheriff's
office that she had asked for the report. The report's
dates proved that the evidence Sheriff Matthews claimed was being
(02:54):
tested back in February hadn't even been turned over for
testing until March, just two days before Jana's scheduled meeting
with the district attorney. Nothing was making sense. In the
last part of this series, we will find out even
more about what they tried so hard to cover and
(03:17):
where things stand today. Let's get into it. A document
stated that testing on the firearm began on May eighth,
twenty twenty three, and ended on May eighteenth, right in
the window of time when Jana had made her request
to the crime lab. Was this testing really quote in
(03:40):
process back in February when Sheriff Matthews sat across from
her and Dane and said, quote, we're doing things with
the firearm right now that you don't have any knowledge of.
We're having that firearm tested and doing some comparisons end quote.
But the fire Arms Analysis report stated clearly that on
(04:03):
March twenty seventh, twenty twenty three, a full thirty two
days after Matthews made that statement, the firearm was just
being received by Donna Stansbury from Detective Alan Urby. The
testing didn't even begin until early May. Even more suspicious,
(04:24):
the firearm was not sent for testing until five days
after Jena and Dane scheduled a face to face meeting
with District Attorney Penny Doucier, it was impossible to deny
evidence wasn't being processed in real time. Every move seemed
to be a reaction, as if officials were waiting to
(04:47):
see how much Jana and her family could find out
on their own before deciding what to test, when and why.
Sometimes it's not just what's said in a world, it's
what's carefully left out. When Janet finally sat down with
the Firearms Analysis report in her hands, she come through
(05:11):
every line, every piece of fine print. At the very
bottom and faint tight, she found a disclaimer quote evidence
descriptions displayed in brackets or agency provided. The word evidence
was even misspelled, another little detail that really didn't inspire confidence.
(05:34):
The report listed four total items, but the core ones
were Item zero one, one sealed box containing a nine
millimeter Ruger pistol, noted in brackets as from the jones residents.
Item zero three one sealed plastic bag containing a bullet
(05:56):
with bracketed information stating it came from the wall all
behind the bed of the Joneses home. But it was
item zero two that gave Jenna pause. The item was
described as quote one sealed plastic bag containing one fired
nine millimeter cartridge case in brackets WCS number one A.
(06:23):
That's it. No mention of where the casing was, no address,
no date saying when it was found, not even a
confirmation that this was the casing Tony claimed to find
a week after Crystal's death, the one that raised the
first real alarm bell for Jenna and her family. How
(06:45):
could every other item include a specific location like Crystal's bedroom,
the wall behind the bed, even their home address, and
yet this shellcasing, the one that sparked their earliest doubt,
was listed with nothing but a vague internal reference code.
(07:05):
WCS number one A meant almost nothing without context. Was
it the same casing. Why wasn't the actual discovery location
like the vanity, the makeup stand, the bedroom floor listed
as it was for the bullet and the gun. Was
(07:26):
it an omission or an intentional effort to blur the
lines Back On February sixteenth, twenty twenty three, Tony told
investigators he found the shell casing inside the home, a
full week after the scene had been cleaned and her
body removed. That alone should have made it one of
(07:48):
the most scrutinized pieces of evidence. Instead, it had the
least amount of detail. Jana had seen enough by now
to know that sometimes the silence around the evidence is
louder than the evidence itself. December twenty fifth, twenty twenty three,
(08:10):
most people were with family that day. Some were celebrating,
some grieving quietly. For Jana, it was a mix of both.
But during the holiday she reached out to doctor Frank Peretti,
the man who had performed Crystal's autopsy. She had questions
about the inconsistencies, about the medical findings that didn't line
(08:34):
up with Crystal's medical history, about the descriptions in the
autopsy report that didn't even match her sister's body. There
were too many unanswered questions that were and still are overwhelming,
and Jana needed to hear directly from the man who
signed off on so much of what this investigation was
(08:57):
grounded in. That day, she emailed doctor Frank Piretti, respectfully
pointing out many errors in Crystal's autopsy report, including the
wrong spelling of her name, incorrect descriptions of her hair
and eye color, no acknowledgment of her past spinal fractures,
(09:18):
failure to note her full hysterectomy and concerning bruises and
injuries she and Julie saw and took pictures of. Jana
made it clear with supporting photos and records, and asked
for clarification to ensure no mix up happened since Crystal
had been cremated. We're going to go through the emails
(09:41):
between Jana and doctor Paretti up until twenty twenty five,
and then we'll backtrack to separate information from twenty twenty
four and twenty twenty three. December twenty sixth, twenty twenty three,
Doctor Piretti's office, through someone named Ma Michelle, responded saying
(10:02):
they were looking into the matter and would get back
with her soon. Two days later, Jana politely checked back
in and doctor Peretti finally got back to her with corrections.
He acknowledged the name and hair color were wrong. He
said eye color can change after death. He claimed no
(10:23):
old fractures were seen because they typically examined the interior
vertebrate only unless informed otherwise beforehand. He corrected the report
to reflect that Crystal had a hysterectomy. He insisted there
was no bruising noted on her thighs or wrists. At autopsy,
(10:44):
explaining what they saw could have been post mortem lividity.
He said no fingernail was missing during her autopsy, suggesting
it may have been lost later. He also sent her
the corrected autopsy report. Jenna acknowledged his response, but she
also let him know that she had crime scene photos
(11:06):
showing the missing fingernail and bruising that developed later during
funeral preparation. January first, twenty twenty four, Jena shared the
correct report with other contacts, commenting on how surprising it
was that so many corrections were even needed. January twenty third,
(11:29):
twenty twenty four, she emailed doctor Peretti again after reviewing
autopsy photos, asking about a yellow baglike object with blue
tape visible in one photo, wondering if Crystal's hands had
been bagged. The next day, doctor Paretti responded bluntly hands
(11:50):
were not bagged. March twelfth through the eighteenth of twenty
twenty four, Jena reached out again, asking if the bedding
like the comforter, sheets, etc. Had been collected along with
Crystal's body. Doctor Peretti replied that no bedding was received.
When Crystal's body arrived at his office, she was wearing
(12:13):
a robe and pennies, along with a noticeably blood soiled sheet,
which was disposed of. The robe and pennies were returned
with the body. Jana also asked if the West Carol
Sheriff's Department told him to look for a shell casing.
He answered that as a forensic pathologist, he automatically examines
(12:36):
for things like shellcasings without being told. She clarified that
West Carroll Sheriff's Department claimed he had called them on
February fifteenth, twenty twenty three to report that no shell
casing had been found. Jana wanted to verify whether that
conversation ever happened, but Peretti did not confirm whether that
(12:58):
conversation took place. April third through the ninth of twenty
twenty four, Jena asked if there was any sketch or
diagram that came with Crystal's autopsy report. Doctor Piretti simply
replied no. April fifteenth, twenty twenty four, Jena requested a
(13:21):
copy of the invoices and payments related to Crystal's autopsy.
Doctor Piretti's office replied that West Carol Parish Corner's office
would have those records because they are the official keepers
of those documents in Louisiana. December twenty third and twenty
fourth of twenty twenty four, Jena asked if she could
(13:44):
receive a copy of doctor Paretti's case notes. He declined,
saying his case notes are considered work product and all
information was included in the autopsy report. January eleventh, twenty two,
twenty five, she emailed to ask whether any X rays
had been taken during Crystal's autopsy. That message, as of
(14:08):
the report, had yet to receive a reply back. On
May fifth, twenty twenty four, for Jana, the road to
justice had long since left the bounds of Oak Grove.
Alongside private investigator Shila Wassaki, as well as Ray Andreachio,
Pam Cruise, and Sherri Smith, she traveled to Washington, d C.
(14:33):
To speak for Crystal and for so many others whose
cases had been closed too quickly or ignored altogether. Each
woman carried the weight of a different name, a different loss,
a different injustice, but the mission was the same, to
stand up for those who no longer had a voice.
(14:54):
They met with lawmakers, shared their stories, and pleaded for
systemic change and how suspicious deaths were handled, especially when bias, influence,
or indifference had been allowed to create the outcomes. On
the very same day that Jena gave her speech to
Senator Bill Cassidy's councilman, the Louisiana State Police delivered their answer.
(15:19):
A formal letter was issued. They would not be reopening
Cristel's case. No new explanation, no offer of support, just
a simple dismissal, timed almost poetically to Jana's call for
accountability on Capitol Hill June seventeenth, twenty twenty four. In
(15:41):
a move that came with no warning, Sheriff Scott Matthews
retained legal counsel, and a letter that followed Matthew's attorney
made a single striking statement, quote, Cristel's case remains open.
It was a curious shift. For months, the West Carol
(16:02):
Parish Sheriff's office had been adamant that Cristel's case was
closed and that no further investigation was necessary. The Louisiana
State Police had said the same. But now after national
attention had begun to build after Jenna visited Washington, after
(16:22):
they started to feel a little public pressure, they wanted
to keep the file open, possibly to avoid more scrutiny,
perhaps so they wouldn't have to admit their faults. November
twenty fifth, twenty twenty four, over a year after Cristel's death,
the story finally aired on KNOE, a local Louisiana news station.
(16:49):
The segment put a spotlight on Crystal's case, hitting all
the points about the inconsistencies, the questions, and the family's
persistent calls for transparent creancy. It featured voices from the
people who had walked every step of the way Jana,
private investigators, and loved ones who refused to accept the
(17:11):
silence and dismissiveness as an answer. The community heard it,
strangers heard it. Crystal's name was out there. Her story
was finally out there in a big way. Despite months
of asking questions, pushing for answers, and collecting their own evidence,
(17:33):
Crystal's family continued to hear the same old thing from
officials in West Carroll Parish quote, there's nothing suspicious. Everything matches.
This case is closed in so many ways. The Sheriff's department,
the Coroner's office, and others were asking the family to
(17:54):
stop asking questions. But Jana had made a promise to
her sister that she will always keep. On August eleventh,
twenty twenty three, after contacting the Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, Janee submitted a public record's request concerning Tony
(18:15):
Jones's employment. The request was simple, was Tony employed at
Forest High School? And if so, how was this permitted?
Given that his teaching license had been revoked. The response
came from West Carroll Parish Superintendent Christy Boyd, confirming not
(18:35):
only his employment, but that he had been allowed to
continue working despite the revoked license. This added another thread
to a growing pattern. Rules were bent for Tony Jones,
and no one seemed willing to hold him accountable. But
the real weight of conflict of interest came not through paperwork,
(18:58):
but through something much more visible and impossible to ignore. Facebook.
Jenna had long wondered how deep Tony's ties ran with
the West Carol Parish Sheriff's Department. Now she had evidence
that those ties weren't just professional, they were personal. On
(19:19):
September twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, Crystal had once posted a
photo of Tony in a West Carroll Sheriff's Department uniform,
showing how long he had been associated with the office.
February thirteenth and seventeenth of twenty twenty three, just days
after Cristel's death, Tony made many public Facebook posts, grieving yes,
(19:45):
but also defensive on each one. Heather hill Irby, the
wife of Chief investigator Alan Rby, could be seen interacting
with heart reactions and comments. On March tenth, twenty twenty three,
just one month after Cristel's death, Tony updated his profile picture.
(20:08):
He removed the photo of himself with Crystal and replaced
it with a photo of just himself. The change might
have gone unnoticed, but what stood out to Crystal's family
was the familiar name reacting to it, Heather hill Irby.
She gave it alike, the wife of the very man
(20:29):
tasked with helping lead the investigation into Cristel's death. A
few days later, after expressing to Sheriff Matthews that they
feared Tony would flee, Tony wrote a Facebook post that
said quote just a PSA. If anyone has any questions
about what is went on or if I'm leaving town,
(20:50):
please feel free to contact me and I will answer
any questions that you have. Thank you. It seemed like
he was being old what was asked in private A
day later, on March eleventh, his Facebook profile still showed
he was married to Crystal, but by March nineteenth, just
(21:12):
thirty eight days after her sudden and tragic passing, he
quietly changed his relationship status to single. Maybe all of
this wasn't seen as a big deal to other people,
but in light of everything else, the social media posts,
the pattern of defensiveness, the selective information being passed between
(21:33):
law enforcement and the family, how could you not be suspicious.
On March seventeenth, twenty twenty three, after thinking about Tony's
behavior and how he had repeatedly represented himself as law enforcement,
Jana decided to check the official West Carol Parish Sheriff's
(21:54):
Department website. What she found confirmed her concerns. Tony Owns
was still listed as a deputy. The family kept being
told that Tony was not employed with the Sheriff's office,
but he was still listed publicly. He even told Dane
that he had known both Sheriff Matthews and Detective Rby
(22:16):
for over twenty years, and his public Facebook profile still
listed his job title as patrol officer at West Carol
Parish Sheriff's Department. If he was no longer employed there.
No one in authority had asked him to change it.
Detective Rby even told Dane quite a few times that
(22:38):
Tony was a quote great guy. This long standing relationship
seems to be a conflict of interest, one that the
family had always said from the beginning, and one that
now could not be denied. On March eighteenth, Tony made
another public post. It was a shared te TikTok video
(23:01):
with this quote, when you destroy somebody's life with lies,
you better treat it like a loan. Karma will come
back to you and collect with interest. The timing was
no coincidence. It was the kind of post that is subliminal,
meant to send a message. Jana and her family had
(23:21):
only shared their concerns with law enforcement through the proper channels,
so how was he even aware of it? The answer
pointed to someone within the system tipping him off, and
for a grieving family already exhausted from stonewalling and discrepancies,
it was one more blow. Three days later, Tony shared
(23:45):
another TikTok video on his Facebook. The message in the
video read quote, sometimes people need to make you the
villain so they can live with what they did to
you for Jana and her family. It was jarring. Not
only was the post public, but it didn't read as grief.
It didn't read as heartbreak or pain. It read like bitterness.
(24:10):
And this was only the beginning. The very next day,
Tony shared yet another TikTok video. This time, the message
suggested romantic rejection. Quote, I'm done with mixed signals. If
you want me, then show me. I'm not gonna waste
my time yet again on someone I thought I could
(24:31):
build a future with. Who was this post for? Was
this a look into his mindset? A little over a
month after Crystal's death. The family couldn't help but notice
it felt like a breakup post, not something a grieving
husband would share. After all, Jena found in the laptop
(24:53):
his usernames and passwords to the popular dating websites plenty
of fish Match and e Harmony. A few days later,
on March twenty fifth, twenty twenty three, Tony made another
public Facebook status that said quote, in my opinion, some
people need to get medication and a life. I'm just saying.
(25:17):
This came one day after Crystel's oldest son, Corbin, received
what was left of his mother in a damaged box,
not properly or legally mailed, and without any documentation. Now,
let's take a little peek into Crystal's life. Crystal was
private in many ways, but her digital footprint told a story.
(25:42):
On February sixteenth, twenty twenty two, nearly one year to
the day before her death, Crystal searched for something surprising
semi colon tattoo for someone who had never liked tattoos,
who had always sworn them off. This this wasn't just
about body art. The semi colon is assembled deeply rooted
(26:05):
in mental health survival, representing the choice to continue a
sentence when it could have ended, a quiet nod to surviving,
to choosing life again and again. As someone with that
tattoo myself, I understand that she wanted to live and
not choose death. On March twenty eighth, twenty twenty two,
(26:30):
Crystal's next searches were telling in another way. She wanted
to know quote, do teenage girls require a father's discipline
to thrive? And is it best for a mom or
dad to discipline teenage daughters? Raising Hannah Cheanne Tony's biological
daughter from a previous relationship, came with constant pushback. Crystal
(26:55):
was the one left to set the rules and boundaries,
to be the disciplinarian while Tony deflected or defended. On
December fourteenth, twenty twenty two, she took a screenshot on
this date that showed something even more painful. Tony's cell
phone location was pained at the preferred inn in Bastrip, Louisiana,
(27:20):
while Crystal was actively on a phone call. The location,
the timing, the openness of it felt like he wasn't
even trying to hide anymore. On January twenty eighth, twenty
twenty three, Crystal sent Tony a sweet little update of
a photo of Hannah getting her driving permit, But it
(27:42):
wasn't long before the conversation turned into a dispute. Tony
had once again put Crystal in a tough position, this
time between Hannah and her biological mother, Holly. Holly had
long been absent, unreliable, and emotionally harmful, but now Christel
(28:03):
was being accused of quote trying to take her place.
I know it's shocking, but Tony didn't defend his wife.
He let Cristel take the heat again. And what happened
after Cristel died was even more telling. Just nine days
after her death, Hannah had a brand new Facebook page.
(28:26):
She was suddenly reunited online with her mother, Holly, and
even Holly's sister Tanya, who had been convicted in the
death of her own child Tony. He added them too.
He wasn't just reconnecting, he was slipping right into a
new kind of social life, one that Cristel had tried
(28:47):
her damnedest to protect Hannah from. They were bonding over
jokes and public posts, as if none of the grief,
the trauma, the questions had ever happened. At one time,
Crystel wasn't in the way of Tony's life. She was
his life until she became inconvenient to it. And that change,
(29:11):
which we have gotten glimpses of and search histories, social
media connections, and digital time stamps, the big picture deserves
to be seen not just as a list of red flags,
but as the final months of a woman screaming quietly
to be heard. On January seventeenth, twenty twenty three, Cristel's
(29:34):
heart was full. The month before her death, her oldest son, Corbin,
had just shared the news that he and his fiance
were expecting a baby. Cristel was going to be a
grandmother for the first time, and the joy in her
message to Jana radiated through every word. But that joy
(29:54):
didn't seem to be shared by the person who should
have celebrated right beside her. Tony's response, according to what
Cristel told their sister in law, Julie, was nothing short
of dismissive. Quote just great, that's an added expense when
we have to go to New York to see the baby.
This wasn't just a slip of the tongue. It was
(30:18):
simply part of a larger pattern, one that Julie would
later speak about directly to Sheriff Scott Matthews during their meeting.
Cristel was experiencing emotional abuse, the kind that attempts to
slowly chip away at someone's soul, but even still she
pressed on. On January twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, Cristel
(30:41):
took a screenshot of something she was super proud of,
a ninety six percent on one of her education courses.
She had also received a certificate of completion, a milestone
in her journey to go back to work as an
insurance agent. She was returning stronger, smarter, and more determined
(31:02):
than ever. That same day, she saved a quote that
was filled with hope and perspective. The words gave the
impression of someone with a future in mind, not someone
preparing to leave one behind. On January twenty ninth, twenty
twenty three, Crystal spent this day doing something that brought
(31:24):
her peace. Organizing. Photos she took show cabinet stocked and
sordid groceries placed just so neatness. An organization brought her
so much joy. It gave her a sense of control
in a world that so often felt totally unpredictable. And
it wasn't just about the physical space. It was about
(31:48):
emotional stability, about making her own calm in the storm.
On February first, twenty twenty three, Crystal received another email.
She had officially completed her education course. She was on track,
doing the work and taking steps towards taking back her independence,
(32:10):
becoming more certified, more empowered, more ready, Crystal was building
a life, not ending one. All of this, the texts,
their certificates, the groceries, the excitement about becoming a grandmother,
tells the story of a woman who was looking ahead,
(32:31):
a woman who was doing the hard work to rise
above any hardship she experienced. Now, let's get into some
current updates. On February twenty first, twenty twenty five, Jane
filed a formal complaint with the Arkansas Board of Medical
Examiners against doctor Frank Peretti, the pathologist who performed Crystal's autopsy.
(32:56):
The complaint detailed multiple errors and inconsistent in his report.
That same day, complaints were also submitted to the Department
of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Arkansas Attorney General's Office,
calling for further review of doctor Peretti's conduct and conclusions.
(33:18):
Three days later, a letter arrived from the Arkansas Attorney
General's Office in response to the complaint filed against doctor Peretti.
It marked the beginning of a formal review process that
the family hoped would finally hold someone accountable for the
mishandling of Crystal's autopsy. However, it states, quote, thank you
(33:42):
for contacting the Arkansas Attorney General's Office regarding doctor Frank Peretti.
The situation you describe in your complaint falls outside the
Consumer Protection Division's role and authority. We are not able
to facilitate a resolution of your complaint. You may wish
to reach reach out to the Arkansas State Medical Board
(34:02):
for possible assistance or information. You may wish to contact
a private attorney to discuss your legal rights and options
in this matter. A list of Arkansas attorneys can be
searched by city, county, and area of practice via the
Arkansas Bar Association's website for civil matters, and depending on
(34:23):
your income, you may qualify for assistance from Arkansas Legal Partnership.
We regret that we have been unable to assist you. However,
if we can be of service to you in the future,
please do not hesitate to contact us. On February twenty seventh,
the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division responded to the
(34:44):
complaints submitted Under What We Did, It says team members
from the Civil Rights Division reviewed the information you submitted.
Based on this information, our team determined that the situation
you described does not appear to be within the jurisdiction
of the federal civil rights laws we enforce. For that reason,
(35:06):
and in the exercise of our enforcement discretion, the Division
will take no further action regarding our correspondence. Even when
the Division has jurisdiction over a particular matter, it is
within the Division's discretion to determine whether to pursue a
particular matter for various reasons, including the availability of evidence,
(35:28):
among other considerations. What you can do your issue may
be covered by other federal, state, or local laws that
we do not have the authority to enforce. We are
not determining that your report lacks merit. Your state bar
association or local legal aid office may be able to
(35:49):
help with your issue, even though the Department of Justice cannot.
Thank you for taking the time to contact the Department
of Justice about your concerns. We regret that we are
not able to provide more help on this matter. On
April fifth, twenty twenty five, Jana received a response from
the National Association of Medical Examiners regarding the complaint that
(36:14):
she had submitted against doctor Frank Peretti. The response reads,
this letter is regarding your ethics claim received by the
National Association of Medical Examiners without a determination of the
merits of the claim. It is clear the information you
relate in your note to the National Association of Medical
(36:35):
Examiners Ethics Committee created distress and anguish over the events
themselves and the investigation slash reporting process. We express our
condolences and share in some of this frustration. The Ethics
Committee is bound to operate under the Association's bylaws, specifically
(36:55):
Article ten and the associated Policy and Procedures Rules. The
information you sent in was provided to the Committee and
formally discussed electronically March twenty fourth, twenty twenty five to
March thirty first, twenty twenty five. The first requirement is
for the Committee to determine if there is a jurisdiction
(37:17):
over the individual and the issues under the bylaws, and second,
if there is probable cause to believe the complaint is
well founded. In summary, the alleged conduct included claims that
the subject of the complaint, as outlined under the name Bylaws,
Section ten, Section one paragraphs. Abn C did not quote
(37:42):
refrain from exercising professional or personal conduct adverse to the
best interest and purposes of the Association or to the
medical examiner profession end quote, did quote materially misrepresent his
or her educational t training, experience, area of expertise, certification,
(38:05):
membership status within the Association, or official title or position
in a medical legal system. And did not quote refrain
from providing any material misrepresentation of data upon which an
expert opinion or conclusion is based end quote. After the
(38:25):
deliberations in voting by electronic means with a quorum responding,
the committee determined that the complaint is not well founded
and it will therefore be dismissed. The committee ruled that
the complaint reflects poorly on the office processes perhaps better
addressed by the Medical Board, but certainly outside of our
(38:47):
authority under the bylaws, or the issues do not rise
to the level of an ethical violation. The committee does
not reinvestigate cases nor insert itself into the associated medical
decision making. The issues in the claim are more related
to whether an individual office has appropriate policies and sufficient
(39:09):
procedures in place in an attempt to reduce these errors.
Error may occur, and when they do, it is certainly alarming,
but an error in and of itself is not an
ethics violation nor a misrepresentation. On April fourteenth, twenty twenty five,
(39:29):
a long awaited response from the Arkansas State Medical Board
arrived regarding the complaint against doctor Peretti. Buried within these
materials were page eight and nine copies of the original
police report that Dane and Jana had been denied in
their March twenty twenty three meeting with District Attorney Penny Educier.
(39:52):
It was a moment both validating and heartbreaking. After being
told they couldn't have it, the true had found its
way to them after all. After months of unanswered questions
and relentless searching for the truth, Jana finally heard back
from the Arkansas State Medical Board. Jana was holding on
(40:14):
to a little hope that someone, anyone, would simply acknowledge
the mistakes made during Crystal's autopsy. The Board's letter carried
a heavy and familiar sting of disappointment. They had reviewed
the complaint Jena filed against doctor Frank Peretti regarding the errors, inconsistencies,
(40:35):
and shocking mistakes in Crystal's autopsy report. Page by page,
the board outlined their decision. They determined that there was
no violation of the Arkansas Medical Practice's Act. Therefore, no
disciplinary action would be taken against doctor Peretti. In their words,
(40:55):
the autopsy findings, even with the acknowledged spelling errors and
factual and accuracies about Crystal's medical history, did not, in
their judgment, amount to gross negligence or incompetence under the
law's strict definitions. The board also said that while mistakes
(41:16):
might have been made, they believed the errors were not
sufficient to warrant action against doctor Peretti's medical license. They
noted that the concerns about the death certificate, how the
story was being altered, and the misstatements about Crystal's health history,
all the things Jana knew deep in her bones mattered,
(41:38):
were not, by their standard, evidence of intentional wrongdoing. In
the board's view, these were considered documentation errors, not signs
of misconduct. The board's response was clinical and completely detached.
It offered no comfort, no real acknowledgment of the grief
(42:00):
and injustice Jena and her family had carried since losing Crystal.
Another door seemed to close, but Jena knew this was
not the end. Her fight was never about tearing someone down.
It was about standing up for Crystal, for the truth,
and for every family who deserves better. Though the board
(42:23):
would not hold doctor Peretti accountable, Jana held onto what
mattered most, that she had honored Crystal's life and memory
by refusing to just let it go. April sixteenth, twenty
twenty five, more responses arrived, this time from the Arkansas
(42:44):
Attorney General's office and even the Governor of Arkansas. The
family's complaint against the Arkansas State Board of Medical Examiners
had reached the highest levels of state leadership. These responses
acknowledged the complaint, but whether real accountability will follow remains
to be seen. Jena posted these updates with the responses
(43:08):
in the Facebook group that she created Justice for Crystal
McRory Jones. In the comments, she wrote, quote, and this
is the guy who is directing me somewhere else? What
kind of professional is this? It was a screenshot of
Marshall Manow. Not sure if I'm pronouncing that correctly. It's
(43:30):
m E. Nou. He is pictured with a bag of
possibly food and a red solo cup, no shirt, belly
sticking out. Just a goofy pose and not something you'd
want to post and expect people to take you seriously
or think you're professional. It's honestly just tacky. Jana had
(43:53):
filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement,
urgently raising concerns about the West Carol Parish Sheriff's office.
The department had openly admitted that they had no written
policies or procedures for investigating homicides, suicides, or even unattended deaths.
(44:15):
When the response finally came, it felt like a gut punch.
The Commission acknowledged her complaint, but stated that it had
no statutory authority to investigate it. Instead, it referred her
to the Louisiana State Inspector General and the Attorney General's office.
(44:35):
It was a painful realization that the agency responsible for
overseeing law enforcement had no power to hold anyone accountable.
This is the reality that families all over, just like
Crystal's face. If the institutions created to monitor law enforcement
(44:57):
could not or would not step in, then who would
What recourse remained when the systems designed to protect failed
at every turn. It wasn't just a bureaucratic response. It
was a mirror held up to a broken system. And
still Jana refused to back down. In the midst of
(45:20):
relentless setbacks. There were rare but great moments of connection,
conversations that reminded Jana that not everyone was dismissive or indifferent.
She had shared so many painful responses. The ones that
dismissed her sent her running in circles or told her
(45:41):
nothing could be done. But on April twenty second, she
chose to spotlight something different. The few voices who did listen.
Jana wasn't just advocating for Crystal anymore. She was fighting
for every family who had been dismissed, for every grieving
loved one one who deserved real answers. She had reached
(46:03):
out to representatives and legislators across both Arkansas and Louisiana,
and while most responses led back to dead ends, a
few stood out. Louisiana Representative Joy Walters sent a simple
but powerful message, I will fight for your family. Courtney Fleming,
(46:26):
legislative assistant to Representative Matthew Willard, spent forty five sincere
minutes on the phone asking detailed questions about Crystal's case.
She promised to read Jenna's book about Crystal and look
into potential legislation, maybe even a law named in Crystal's honor.
(46:47):
In Arkansas, Representative Jeremy Wooldridge's office followed up with a
phone call after a Facebook message assuring Jenna they were
reaching out to the Public Health and Safety Office, and
Representative Ron McNair personally asked her to forward her concerns
to his own email. These weren't sweeping solutions, but they
(47:10):
were signs that some people were listening, and that still
meant something. Then came April twenty third, twenty twenty five.
The response from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders office hit hard.
Though doctor Frank Peretti was licensed and lived in Arkansas,
the office claimed they had no jurisdiction over his actions
(47:34):
because he'd been hired in a private capacity to perform
Crystal's autopsy in Louisiana. Jana had followed every official path,
filed complaints, requested records, pleaded for oversight. But now she
was told there was no investigation to be had. Even
(47:56):
though Crystal's autopsy had been altered months after her cremateation,
even though there were two case numbers and two sets
of findings, no one, they said, could be held responsible.
The only option left a private autopsy on someone who
had already been cremated. It was another brutal reminder of
(48:18):
how the system works or doesn't, and still Jena refuses
to give up, and finally something shifted, a door opened.
Jena had first traveled to Washington, d C. To raise
her voice. She had shared crystal story with anyone who
would listen and now her voice and Crystals will be
(48:43):
heard on a national platform. On May fifteenth, mark your calendars,
just two days before what would have been Crystal's forty
sixth birthday, True Crime News will air interviews with Jenna
on the CW channel. The case will be shared in
two televised segments, giving Crystal's story the space it always deserved.
(49:07):
For the first time in a long time, there was
something new in the air, Hope. On April twenty eighth,
Hope showed up in the form of an unexpected email
from the office of Louisiana Senator Royce Duplessis. They wanted
to meet. After so many closed doors, impersonal replies and
(49:30):
hollow apologies, this invitation felt like a moment of light,
a chance to speak directly to someone in power about
Crystal's case, a real opportunity. The meeting was scheduled for
May first, at eleven thirty in the morning. It would
be a chance to discuss the desperate need for accountability
(49:51):
and to say without any hesitation that Crystal McRory Jones
deserved better than what she had gotten, so so that
families should not have to climb mountains alone just to
be heard For Jana, every call, every email, and every
restless night had led to this, and she carried not
(50:15):
just her sister's story into that conversation, but the hope
and strength of every person who believes Crystal's life mattered.
On April twenty ninth, through a third party public records request,
the family obtained the second page of Crystal's toxicology report,
(50:35):
something they had never been given before. It changes everything.
The report showed that Crystal had two substances toprah maate
and diephenhydramine. I'm not sure if I'm saying those correctly.
Toprahmate top r am ate and diephenhydramine d E n
(51:02):
hy dr mn E at significantly elevated levels in her system.
According to nms Labs, it was the medical examiner's responsibility
to interpret those drug levels and explain their significance, but
doctor Frank Peretti never did. The implications were staggering. Based
(51:27):
on those levels, Crystal would have likely been too sedated
or impaired to even hold and fire a gun, as reported.
Now armed with this vital information, Jana and her team
have asked the Arkansas State Medical Board to reopen the
complaint against doctor Peretti, and the fight for justice continues
(51:51):
with more strength, more support, and more determination than ever before.
Crystal's story does not end with the paperwork or the
zipped lips from officials. It lives on through everyone who
loves her and will not let the truth be buried.
No matter how long it takes or how many doors close.
(52:16):
Her family will keep fighting. Jenna wrote a book called
Justice Denied, A Sister's Fight for Justice, The True story
of Crystal McRory Jones, and she is working on another
book called A World Without Your Story. She describes it
as a book about living after part of you has
(52:38):
left this world. It will be available soon and I
will definitely include the release of the book in future
bonus update episodes. Please do not forget to sign the
petition in the show notes to support reopening the investigation
into Crystal's death. You'll also see all the links to
(52:59):
follow Jenna on her social media accounts to stay up
to date on any new information regarding Crystal's case, as
well as the link to her first book. I'll also
be compiling the updates as they come in so I
can put together update episodes to keep you all informed
on what happens next on this road to truth and justice.
(53:23):
Thank you so much for listening to these episodes and
sharing them far and wide. It means a lot to
all of us, especially Crystal's loved ones. Okay, friends, until
next time, stay safe and take care.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Thank you for listening to this episode. As we close out,
let us not forget. Awareness is our greatest defense in
a world that can be dark and grim. Vigilance is
our beacon of hope when it comes to the cases
we have explored together that have remained unsolved. If you
happen to hold a piece of the puzzle, there to
step forward. As Arthur Lois McMaster bouge Hold once said,
(54:05):
the dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a
duty of the living to do so for them. Until
we reconvene, my friends, stay vigilant and stay informed.
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