Warrants: Mom accused of murder locked kids in room, forced them to pee in containers
A mom accused of murder in Horry County locked her children in a room and they were forced to urinate in jars, according to arrest warrants.
Meagan Jackson, of Conway, was previously arrested in connection to the murder of Gregory Rice. During a bond hearing on Thursday, a state prosecutor said officers searched Jackson’s home and found evidence of child neglect.
On Friday, Horry County police charged Jackson with four counts of unlawful neglect of a child. Arrest warrants state Jackson locked several children in their rooms without a way to leave.
The doors had an electronic lock with the batteries removed, according to the warrants. There were no doorknobs on the inside of the room and a key code was needed to unlock the room.
The children had to urinate in their room using containers they found, police say.
Windows in the room were also padlocked and their slide tracks were tampered with, which made opening them impossible, according to the warrants.
State social workers took custody of the children after Jackson’s arrest on the murder charge, said Scott Hixson, Chief Deputy Solicitor. The children are now living with Jackson’s half-brother.
On Nov. 11, police charged Jackson and Chris Dontell in connection to Rice’s murder. Jackson was the mother of four of Rice’s children. Jackson and Rice separated about a year ago.
Dontell was fired as an Horry County deputy coroner when he became a suspect in the murder investigation. Hixson said Dontell, who is married, was having an affair with Jackson.
Jackson reported Rice missing in early October and a search started for his whereabouts. In early November, police found his remains along the Great Pee Dee River near the Horry/Marion county line.
Hixson said Dontell was also filmed on video surveillance at a local store buying a tarp, cement blocks and zip ties.
A judge set Dontell’s bond at $125,000, and he was released on home detention Friday afternoon. Jackson’s bond is $120,000 for all charges, which has not been posted.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 3:25 PM.
