Hinds County Sheriff's Department, U.S. Marshals Team Up For Unsolved Murder

By: Heather Burke |
Published: September 26, 2009

The Hinds County Sheriff's Department has joined forces with the U.S. Marshals to track down suspects accused of brutally murdering a Jackson man three years ago.
Authorities say the suspects are Hurricane Katrina transients.
It was three years ago when 27-year-old Sylvester Smith went missing.
His family frantically searched for him, only to find out a few days later that he was dead.
Hinds County Sheriff's Deputies say his body was dumped on the side of McRaven Road.
He was shot in the head, shoulder and stomach.
"It was horrific," said the victim's sister, Vickie Jones. "We were not able to open the casket at all. There was nothing the funeral director could do to his body. He had no face period. He had no eyes."
After all these years, the family is still left wondering who would do this to someone they love.
"I hurt for my brother, but I really feel sorry for them because of the state that they're in," said Jones. "The state that their heart and soul is in, to kill somebody needlessly like this."
Authorities recently issued an arrest warrant for the suspects---who they believe fled the state.
Jones says an arrest for her brother's murder is the closure her family needs.
"We will be at peace knowing that they are behind bars and no one else, no other family, will ever have to endure the pain and suffering that we have," said Jones.