CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Kentucky man pleaded guilty to charges related to the suspicious death of a local woman. James Fairchild was indicted in July 2022, in connection with the discovery of 50-year-old Marcia Jones. Jones was found dead leaning against a pile of broken boards in a garage in the alley between Sugar Street and Scioto Avenue.
According to the police department, Fairchild became a suspect in the case after it was discovered that Jones had an active protection order against Fairchild.
During the course of their investigation, detectives executed a search warrant on Fairchild’s truck, finding two cell phones, receipts from various stores, a handwritten letter from Jones to Fairchild, and photographs of Fairchild and Jones. The photographs showed Jones lying on the floor of a hotel room, unconscious. Although Jones was found in different clothing from the photos, she was wearing the same shoes, detectives said. The police said that they could not confirm from the photos if Jones was alive or already deceased at the time they were taken. According to detectives surveillance footage from America’s Best Value Inn on East Main Street showed Fairchild dragging Jones’ lifeless body from a room into his pickup truck.
Fairchild’s cell phone, investigators stated, was also pinged in the area of the alley during the time Jones’ body was discovered. His vehicle was also spotted on a resident’s security camera. Detectives also pulled phone records that showed Jones had called Fairchild multiple times on March 4, 2022, and that Fairchild had called her three times on the same day.
The Ross County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Jones died from a drug overdose.
Fairchild, as part of his plea deal, faces up to 12 months in prison. Court records also state that he will receive jail time credit, which could reduce his time behind bars in prison.
