Human remains found at backyard of missing Mississippi woman's home, son and daughter-in-Law taken into custody; chilling details emerge as police launch probe

Chilling details surfaced from Mississippi, where remains of an unidentified person were discovered in a makeshift backyard “grave” at the home of an elderly woman. According to authorities, the woman had gone missing, and now her son and daughter-in-law are charged in connection with the case.

The missing woman was identified as Carol Ryan, 81, and the Jackson Police Department on Monday (December 22, 2025) put out a missing persons alert for her after a family member reported that she had not been heard from for several months. She was reported missing on Saturday, December 20, 2025.

Police, in its announcement, also revealed that the man who reported her missing said that Ryan was supposed to be at a nursing home in Brandon but that he had not been able to locate her.

Jackson police obtain search warrant for Carol Ryan’s home

In an announcement video posted by Jackson Police on Facebook, Chief Tyree Jones, who was speaking to reporters at the scene on Tuesday (December 23, 2025), revealed that police obtained a search warrant for Carol Ryan’s home on Monday night.

Jones told reporters that evidence led investigators to bring in excavators and other machinery, which then led to the discovery of “unidentified human remains that were buried in this backyard,” he said. He said the remains were wrapped in a tarp and buried in a grave that was six to eight feet deep and contained concrete, according to the Clarion-Ledger reports.




He also said that police are conducting two investigations—a death investigation and a missing person investigation. Authorities believe Carol Ryan may have disappeared from the home, where she lived with her son and daughter-in-law, Jones said.




According to Jones, the body had allegedly been buried in the backyard “long before” Carol Ryan was reported missing.

John Ryan, Samantha Ryan arrest

In a press release issued on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, the Jackson Police Department said that John Ryan, 50, and his wife, Samantha Ryan, 48, had been arrested and charged with desecration of a human corpse, the Clarion Ledger reports.

While speaking to reporters, Jones said that Carol Ryan will continue to be classified as a missing person until the remains they unearthed are conclusively identified. John Ryan is being held on a $100,000 bond, and Samantha Ryan is being held on a $75,000 bond, according to online jail records. More charges are possible, Jones said.

At the time of filing of this report, it was unclear whether the suspects have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.