On a Sunday morning in Louisville, Kentucky, the body of 34-year-old Mitchell Jackson Jr., a Black male, was discovered in the Russell neighborhood. The grim finding on October 20, 2024, at the intersection of South 18th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard launched a homicide investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Initially, responding officers reported no obvious signs of injury, but the Jefferson County Coroner's Office later confirmed that Jackson had died from multiple
gunshot wounds. Police believe he was killed at another location before his body was left in the street.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery of Jackson's body were particularly disturbing. He was found wrapped in sheets, plastic garbage bags, and electrical tape, with zip ties also used. A resident of the area recounted seeing what he first thought was a bag of trash in the road, only to realize upon closer inspection that it was a human body, describing it as being "neatly secured and wrapped, but really, really, really tight". The unusual and public nature of the body's disposal led to widespread speculation on social media, prompting the LMPD to issue a statement clarifying that they believed it to be an isolated incident and not the work of a serial killer.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect. Through surveillance video, police identified 35-year-old Chadwick Fleming as the driver of an SUV seen in the area. The footage showed Jackson's body, tied by the feet to the vehicle's bumper, being dragged for several blocks before it came loose and fell into the roadway. The video then captured Fleming attempting unsuccessfully to put the body back into the SUV before fleeing the scene. A few days later, officers from the Violent Crime Unit and the Firearms Intelligence Squad arrested Fleming during a traffic stop.
Initially, Fleming was charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, to which he pleaded not guilty. His bond was set at $100,000. Later, a grand jury indicted Fleming on the more serious charge of murder. The investigation also led to the arrest of a second individual, 26-year-old Davone Collins, who was indicted on charges of tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse in connection with the case.
