Report: Las Vegas man said he left son’s body in desert lot

The man accused of killing his 13-year-old son has admitted he struck the child during an argument over candy, causing him to drop to the floor and hit his head, according to a Las Vegas police report.

Paul Darell Jones, who was booked on a murder charge Thursday in the death of his son Aaron, told police the boy died after the February argument. Jones said he then carried his son’s body to a desert lot, according to the report.

The man’s live-in girlfriend, Latoya Williams-Miley, also was booked Thursday on a murder charge in the case. Both she and Jones are 33.

Aaron’s remains were discovered Tuesday in a desert lot near the complex where the family shared a one-bedroom apartment. He was reported missing April 14.

Using dental records, the Clark County coroner’s office confirmed on Friday that the skeletal remains were Aaron’s. A cause of death has not been determined.

Two men discovered the body about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday behind the Siegel Suites at 3625 Boulder Highway, near Sahara Avenue. The body was wrapped in plastic with rocks placed on top of it, police have said.

The men were Aaron’s cousins, the report said. They had just learned Aaron had been missing for months and were canvassing the area with fliers.

Jones was granted custody of the boy and his sister in June and moved the family to the extended-stay motel in November.

According to Jones’ arrest report, obtained Friday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he spoke with detectives Wednesday and said he often would discipline Aaron for stealing food. He also detailed the disciplinary techniques he used on Aaron, one of 13 children who lived with him:

When Aaron misbehaved, he was forced to stand against a wall and hold his arms over head until his arms gave out. Then his father would have him hold one of his legs in the air while Aaron’s brothers and sisters were encouraged to throw things at him. As part of the punishment, he was not allowed to protect himself.

Jones learned at a parenting class that he also could give the boy a “pop” as long as it did not leave a bruise, according to the police report.

The father first told detectives that Aaron had run away, according to the report. Jones said he did not report the boy missing, because the man had outstanding warrants and did not want to get in trouble.

But detectives got Jones to confess that he struck Aaron during the candy argument, which occurred Feb. 14. After Aaron dropped to the floor and struck his head, the boy’s eyes were open, “but he was not completely there,” Jones told detectives.

Jones said he tried to wake the boy up in the shower by spraying water on him. When that failed, he dressed the boy in a dry shirt, laid the boy on the living room floor and put a blanket on him, according to the report.

At some point — police note Jones would not specify when — Aaron stopped breathing. Jones then carried the boy’s body to the desert lot, the report said.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @WesJuhl and @mike_shoro on Twitter.