>> BALDWIN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
An Eatonton woman has been indicted by a Baldwin County Grand Jury and a Jones County Grand Jury in connection with concealing the death of her elderly uncle.
Dafredia Yvette Stephens was indicted on Nov. 28 in Baldwin County on charges of concealing the death of another, neglect of a disabled or elderly person/resident of a long-term care facility, theft by taking, and theft by deception according to Baldwin County Superior Court records.
Regarding the same case, a Jones County Grand Jury returned an indictment on Stephens in August on charges of concealing the death of another and the abandonment of a dead body. Stephens was arrested on July 11 by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office following an 18-month investigation. JCSO Capt. Kenny Allen reportedly said the body of 74-year-old Fredrick Stephens, of Baldwin County, was found on Dec. 27, 2021, on Cheehaw Trail by a Jones County public works employee.
Allen said the body of the deceased appeared to have been there for a couple of days.
The identity of the victim was unknown, so a GBI sketch artist produced a rendering of what the deceased person looked like in life, Allen said. After the sketch was circulated to the public, a family member called authorities and identified the victim as Frederick Stephens. A DNA test was done for confirmation, and the results took 18 months.
Records reveal the Baldwin County grand jurors claim that Dafredia Stephens’ concealment of Fredrick Stephens’ death “hindered the discovery of whether or not (he) was unlawfully killed by neglect or abuse.”
Regarding the neglect charges, the indictment records show Stephens was the designated caregiver of her uncle between Oct. 1 and Dec. 27, 2021; and she willfully deprived him of healthcare and failed to seek medical treatment or medical services for him, thus jeopardizing his well-being.
“Ms. Stephens had told other family members and law enforcement different stories of where Mr.
Stephens had gone – from him leaving on his own to live with other family members, to her placing him into a retirement home,” a post on social media by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office says.
Authorities discovered Dafredia Stephens was a signer on her uncle’s bank account, and following his death, she reportedly continued to cash his social security checks.
She would withdraw the funds on the same day the check was deposited into his account and spend it for her own personal use, according to the social media post.
Allen said Stephens was arrested at the bank when she showed up to withdraw the funds from her uncle’s account.
The cause of Stephens’ death is undetermined, but authorities say he likely died from natural causes.