Murder of Loretta Jones by Thomas Edward Egley detailed on Extreme Measures

The murder of Loretta Jones by Thomas Edward Egley is to be detailed on Investigation Discovery’s true-crime show, Extreme Measures.

On July 30, 1970, Jones was found dead on the living room floor of her home in Price, Utah, by her 4-year-old daughter, Heidi Jones-Asa. The 23-year-old had been raped, stabbed, and her throat had been slashed.

Her body was transported to the local medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, and the results revealed that she died from internal bleeding.

Carbon County police arrested Egley, who Jones had previously dated, shortly after the murder, but a judge threw the case out due to lack of evidence. He later moved to Rocky Ford, Colorado, and moved on with his life, while Jones’ murder remained a cold case for over four decades.

When Jones-Asa became an adult, she ran into Sergeant Brewer at the Helper Arts Festival and told him her mother was murdered, and that the case was never solved. He then took an interest in the case and opted to revive it in 2009.

In June 2016, police officials had Jones’ body exhumed to obtain DNA evidence and have it sent to the Utah State Crime Lab for testing.

When Egley learned that Jones’ body was going to be exhumed, a neighbor told investigators that he asked how long DNA evidence and semen lasted. That neighbor convinced Egley to arrange a meeting with the investigators involved in the case and admit to the murder—and he did.

On June 7, 2016, Egley, who was 76 years old, made a full confession. He told police that he raped and killed Jones after she refused to have sexual intercourse with him.

He later provided more details to his neighbor, stating that after she refused sex, she went to the kitchen, and when she returned to the living room area, he stabbed her multiple times with a knife.

Jones fell to the floor, and that’s when he raped her, not knowing that she was possibly already dead. He fled the scene to his hotel room, where he showered before getting rid of his clothes and throwing the murder weapon in a river.

A warrant was later issued for his arrest. He was charged with second-degree murder and rape.

In October 2016, Egley took a plea deal and pled guilty to murdering Jones, which led to his first-degree felony rape charge being dismissed.

He released a statement to the court, which was read by his attorney. He said, “I didn’t know that the daughter was there. I’m sorry she had to find her mother like that. I’m terribly sorry.”

The following month, a judge sentenced Egley to 10 years to life in prison.

Extreme Measures — Try, Try Again, airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.