A Louisiana man, Ryant Jones, 31, has been charged with the stabbing deaths of three family members, including a 1-year-old child, in what relatives describe as a tragedy tied to untreated mental health struggles. The killings occurred Thursday at a home in Amite, Louisiana, according to the St. Helena Parish Sheriff’s Department.
The victims have been identified as Rhonda Powell, 40, her 10-year-old son Braylon, and her 1-year-old nephew Hayden. Family members revealed that Jones, a relative of the victims, had been experiencing a mental health episode just one day before the tragedy, reported WAFB.
A GoFundMe set up by the family stated that Jones suffered from schizophrenia. Relatives reported that he had been taken to a medical center for treatment the day before the killings. Rhonda Powell’s cousin, Deondra Robertson-Warner, shared their concerns: “We requested that they commit him and that they keep him because he was showing signs of aggression with his brother.
They didn’t think it was a good idea to send him home.” Robertson-Warner further explained that the family pleaded for Jones to receive specific treatment. “A family member…implored that the doctor give him the shot which usually works. Instead, the doctor gives him a pill,” she said to People, Jones was sent back home shortly after.
The tragedy unfolded on Sawmill Road near the Tangipahoa-St. Helena parish line just before 5 p.m. on Thursday. Deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call discovered the horrific scene. Jones was arrested and booked into the St. Helena Parish Jail on three counts of first-degree murder.
“This was a horrible tragedy,” said St. Helena Parish Sheriff Clay Chutz. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families, all the first responders who worked this tragedy, and the entire community.” Family members have expressed frustration over the system’s failure to address Jones’s mental health needs adequately.
“Had he been committed, he would be where he needed to be today, and my other family members would be alive…those babies would be alive,” Robertson-Warner lamented. A neighbor reflected on the shock within the community.
“Man, it was just terrible because it was too close to home. I never thought that anything could happen, something like that, right here close to my house,” they told Fox 8. The devastating incident has highlighted ongoing concerns about mental health care and its impact on community safety.