Bridgette Parden Mathews murdered Charles Jackson Jr. by hitting him with a car, say authorities in Mobile County, Alabama. (Mug shot and image: Mobile County District Attorney’s Office)
After almost a full decade, a woman stands accused of fatally running a man over with a car. Authorities said the victim’s body was hidden. More arrests are expected.
A grand jury in Mobile County, Alabama, indicted Bridgette Parden Mathews, 42, and law enforcement arrested her on Monday, according to local Fox affiliate WALA.
Although authorities expect more arrests in the case, they didn’t have to look far for Mathews: She has been in jail since Aug. 16 because a judge reportedly revoked her probation for allegedly failing to keep in touch with her probation officer under a 2019 conviction.
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood acknowledged to the outlet that it will be a tougher case without the body of victim Charles Jackson Jr. Nonetheless, he voiced confidence with what prosecutors had.
“You know, there are some issues that arise when you don’t have a body,” he reportedly said. “Of course, that part in the investigation is not over. We do believe that the evidence we presented to the grand jury did give them enough evidence to indict and for us to try Bridgette Mathews in this case.”
Jackson had been living with his sister in west Mobile when he went missing in the Semmes area in 2014. The sibling, Kisha Logan, told WALA that she knew it was foul play — someone had previously threatened Charles, and the missing man’s girlfriend described being unable to find him.
“When the officer showed up to my home to take the report, I told him, ‘This is not a missing person’s case. It’s a murder investigation. I knew immediately,’” she said.
Now investigators claim they have an answers, though Blackwood reportedly kept mum on the specifics of the case, except to say that the arrest stemmed from new physical evidence and also information from witnesses, some of whom previously were unwilling to cooperate.
“This is the first arrest after many years of investigation,” he reportedly said. “Many witnesses have been talked to. A lot of evidence has been uncovered. This is the first in what we believe will be multiple arrests.”
He voiced hope that more people will step forward with information.
“I know there’s somebody out there in the community that was either involved in this case or has knowledge of this case or have spoken to someone involved in this case or with knowledge of this case,” he said. “And I expect those people to come forward, and I’m confident that one way or another we will locate the body.”
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Mathews pleaded guilty in a drug case in 2016. Her 2019 conviction for escape was for failing to follow her prison diversion program; instead of staying in Alabama as required, she repeatedly traveled to casinos in Mississippi, authorities reportedly said. Mathews was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with all but three years suspended, and five years on probation.
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