Vernita L. Jones, age 27, has been sentenced to thirty (30) years in prison for the killing of her 6 month old son, Anthony Frost. Circuit Court Judge Frank R. Addy, Jr. imposed the sentence following the guilty plea earlier this week in Edgefield County to the charge of Homicide by Child Abuse. The State offered no plea negotiations in this case and the case was scheduled for trial in November. The crime carries a potential sentencing range of twenty years to Life. Under South Carolina law, Homicide by Child Abuse is classified as a violent crime and a “no parole” offense.

Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard stated, “The tragic and calculated death of this 6 month old baby is heart wrenching. This crime created a profound and lasting impact on the Edgefield County community as a whole.”

Hubbard further commented, “The callous nature of this crime shocks the conscience of even the most veteran law enforcement and criminal justice professionals. Every member of law enforcement who took part in the search for Anthony and the recovery of his body at the Greenville County landfill was ultimately impacted.

Our office has worked tirelessly over the years to bring murderers like Jones to justice while giving a voice to the voiceless.”

Jones, a native of Florida, had recently moved to the Johnston area of Edgefield County in the Fall of 2018. Friends at her apartment complex at 2 Dove Street in Johnston became deeply concerned when they observed Jones in the area without her infant son, Anthony. They began asking her about Anthony’s whereabouts and she repeatedly stated that she had given him to an aunt in Florida and that he was unharmed. 

On November 28, 2018, members of the Johnston Police Department responded to a request for a welfare check on the infant victim. Jones originally withheld critical information from law enforcement in the early stages of the investigation. She initially denied harming Anthony and refused to tell law enforcement where he could be safely located. Finally, during an interview with Johnston Police Chief Lamaz Robinson, Jones admitted that she had “suffocated” Anthony. She stated that she had placed his body in a dumpster outside of her apartment complex in Johnston.  

The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) began an intensive search to locate the missing child. Ultimately, SLED traced the path of the trash disposal to the Greenville County Landfill. Over fifty law enforcement officers from multiple agencies took part in the search. Anthony’s body was ultimately found buried amongst the trash. 

Jones provided a video confession to agents with the SLED Child Fatality Unit and admitted that she had suffocated Anthony with her hands while inside of her apartment in Johnston. She claimed this occurred after using alcohol and the street drug known as ecstasy. The SLED crime scene unit searched her residence and recovered a pillow with blood stains. The blood was a DNA match to the infant victim, Anthony Frost. 

The investigation revealed numerous text messages had been sent from Vernita Jones to the infant’s father in Florida. The text messages, dated September 27, 2018, indicate a pattern of abuse by Vernita Jones towards the infant victim. Jones appeared angry that her son’s father would not return her phone calls.

This case was prosecuted by Eleventh Circuit Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes. Mayes stated, “The most disturbing and incomprehensible aspect of this case is the callous disregard she had for Anthony and the willful, repeated acts of taunting his father with threats of torturing this child.”  

Excerpts from text messages obtained during the investigation include the following statements made by Jones to the child’s father:

“That’s why I’m abusing ur baby everyday”

“Ima throw ur piece of (expletive) baby on the porch and leave”

“Answer the phone before I kill him”

Mayes commended the work of all law enforcement agencies involved in the case. “We are thankful for the excellent investigative work conducted by SLED and the Johnston Police Department. The evidence and key statements obtained during the first 48 hours proved to be essential in this case.”

Photo of Vernita Jones