Carjacking or Murder? The Case of Bianca Jones
Warning, this case discusses possible child abuse, crimes against a child and possible murder.
For this case, I watched an episode of Deadliest Mums and Dads. It’s season 1 episode 8, titled ‘A Father’s Deception.’
A 2-year-old girl is reported missing by her family.
Background
Bianca Lily Jones was born on November 26, 2009, to parents Banika Jones and D’Andre Lane. Bianca mostly lived with her mom, but would stay with her dad if needed.
Banika and D’Andre had known each other since they were about 12, but started dating in their teen years. They went on to have an on and off relationship for about a decade.
D’Andre was quite a ladies man, and had 7 children with 7 different women. (No judgement, just a statement that was in the episode). D’Andre was living with his then-fiancé, and a few of his other children, including a daughter that was the same age as Bianca.
Bianca was described by her mom as fearless and had an obsession with “clickity clackity” ones.
Bianca Jones
The Timeline
In late November 2011, Banika asked D’Andre if Bianca could stay with him until Christmas. Banika was looking for a new job, and was going to attend a job search course.
On November 26, 2011, D’Andre picked Bianca up from Banika’s house.
On December 1, D’Andre called Banika, and asked to come over the next day to pick up more clothes for Bianca. Banika said she wouldn't be home, but some of her family members would be there.
On December 2, Banika received a phone call from her brother. Banika received information that Bianca was missing. D’Andre had shown up at Banika’s house, and claimed that he had been carjacked.
Bianca’s aunt, Mary, called 911, and reported her niece missing. On the phone call, Mary was asked if a weapon was used. She asked D’Andre, but all he could be heard saying was, “my baby, how could they do this?”
Something’s Fishy
A mobile command center was set up around the neighborhood where D’Andre claimed he had been during the carjacking.
Within 30 minutes of the 911 call, D’Andre’s car was found. It was found parked in an alley. The doors were open, and the keys were in the ignition. Bianca’s carseat was in the backseat with a neatly laid out blanket on top.
D’Andre told the police that he was driving to Banika’s house. He heard a car honking behind him, so he rolled his window down. The men in the car told him that his taillights weren’t working. D’Andre said he pulled over to look at the lights, and was carjacked at gunpoint. The car took off with Bianca still in the backseat.
The police began to suspect that D’Andre wasn’t telling them the truth. Detroit is known for violent crimes, but usually a carjacker will just ditch the car with the child still inside. The blanket was also put perfectly over the carseat.
A House of Horror
The police asked D’Andre about the night of December 1, the day before Bianca went missing. D’Andre said he stayed up late playing video games with his nephew. D’Andre said Bianca had wet her pants around 1am, but he put her back to bed, and fell asleep around 3 or 4am.
The next morning, he woke up at 7am to take his kids to school. One of the other children remembered Bianca being really sleepy that morning. They said that Bianca slept in the car the whole ride to school. When they arrived, D’Andre told his daughter to kiss Bianca goodbye, so she did.
D’Andre said he began to drive to Banika’s house after dropping the kids off, and was carjacked.
From the members of the house that lived with D'Andre, the police learned that D’Andre was very strict, especially when it came to potty training. D’Andre had a paddle that he would use to beat his children. Bianca had wet her pants on December 1, and went missing the next day.
D’Andre’s fiancé at the time said she was asleep on December 1, when she heard D’Andre punishing Bianca. The fiancé said Bianca’s screaming was louder than usual, and that D’Andre seemed really mad.
D’Andre’s nephew also told the police that after Bianca had wet herself, she was put on the couch next to her dad. He said D’Andre was poking Bianca over and over again with the paddle. He said he knew something was wrong, but Bianca was put back into her bed.
Where is Bianca?
The police obtained search warrants for D’Andre phone records and surveillance footage around the area. D’Andre’s phone had pinged from the other side of the highway, not where he had claimed to have been driving. He didn’t have a reasonable explanation for it, and had 45 minutes that he was unaccounted for.
The police also brought in cadaver dogs for a search of the house where D’Andre and Bianca were living. The dogs hit on Bianca’s pillow. The dogs were also brought to the police station tow yard. The police had D’Andre’s car in evidence, and the dogs hit on the backseat and trunk. Bianca’s car seat and blanket were put into a different room than the car. The dogs also hit on those items.
The police believed that Bianca had died in her sleep after she was beat with the paddle. D’Andre was very strict when it came to potty training, even though Bianca was only 2.
Bianca’s body has never been found, but the police believe Bianca was discarded in a dumpster. The trash had been picked up on the morning of December 2 before they had a chance to search it.
The police continued to build their case against D’Andre. Banika didn’t believe D’Andre had killed their daughter. She said she wouldn’t have given Bianca to him if she ever thought there was any kind of abuse going on.
The Trial
On March 14, 2012, D’Andre was charged with murder. His trial began in September 2012.
The prosecution had to prove to the jury that Bianca was actually dead because her body was never found. D’Andre’s defense was that there was no evidence to suggest Bianca was actually dead. They also argued that D’Andre was looked at too quickly.
A police officer testified for the defense that she had seen Bianca in a house she had responded to 8 days after Bianca disappeared. It ended up being another young girl that look similar to Bianca. The side by side photos of the two girls were shown to the jury.
The defense claimed that the police only had cadaver dogs to help them solve this case. The prosecution reminded the jury that all over their evidence led them to D’Andre killing Bianca over a potty training incident. D’Andre then let Bianca die instead of getting her some help. Instead of taking responsibility, he came up with the carjacking story and got rid of Bianca to the point where she has never been found.
After 7 hours of deliberation, the jury found D’Andre Lane guilty. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 30 years.
D’Andre Lane
Other
In 2014, D’Andre’s appeal was denied.
Banika believes Bianca is alive somewhere, and continues to believe in D’Andre’s innocence.
The judge in this case, Vonda Evans, was surprised by the verdict.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I believe Bianca is probably not alive anymore, but it’s crazy that her body hasn’t been found. It’s possible that she was discarded in a dumpster, and is somewhere in a landfill. It’s absolutely sickening to believe that a father would beat his child for peeing in her pants. Two year olds still pee and poop even when they are learning to potty train. Several other of his children have said that he did the same thing to them, and many reported that something was wrong with Bianca.
I would love to know your thoughts on this case.
Sources
https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Bianca_Jones
https://criminaldiscoursepodcast.com/bianca-jones/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykapi-47ZJk
