JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Monday marked the fifth anniversary that the remains of missing Jacksonville toddler Lonzie Barton were found in the Bayard area.
JSO's Tom Hackney: "It's a sad day, but it's the first step in justice." BREAKING: Authorities say they believe they have located Lonzie Barton’s body: http://bit.ly/1JG7diM
Posted by Action News Jax on Monday, January 11, 2016
An Amber Alert was first issued for Lonzie in July 2015. Lonzie’s disappearance captivated the community as police and volunteer groups relentlessly searched for the little boy with bright blue eyes.
An autopsy found that Lonzie had blunt force trauma to the head. William Ruben Ebron Jr., Lonzie’s mother Lonna Barton’s boyfriend, claimed Lonzie drowned while Ebron and Lonna Barton were having sex. Ebron then hid Lonzie’s body.
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Six months after Lonzie’s disappearance, Ebron finally led investigators to Lonzie’s remains.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney, who is now retired, told Action News Jax in 2016 that he and the men and women who worked on the case carry it with them every day.
“Everyone in this room had a true emotional attachment to this case,” Hackney said. “At home, driving to and from work, lying in bed trying to fall asleep, you carried this case with you.”
2019 STORY: Lonzie Barton’s mother to serve 12 years in prison total as 7-year drug sentence upheld
Lonna Barton was sentenced to five years in prison for a Duval County charge of child neglect and seven years on drug charges out of Baker County. She is serving her sentences at the Gadsden Correctional Facility in Quincy. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, her release date is set for Aug. 24, 2026.
Ebron was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter of a child and five years for child neglect. He is being held at the Okeechobee Correctional Institute, and his release date is set for Jan. 3, 2039.
MARCH 2016 VIDEO: Video released of Lonzie Barton search
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