Jason Thornburg: Ritualistic Murders and Dismemberment in Texas
Background
Jason Alan Thornburg is an American serial killer who murdered at least three people and confessed to killing two others between 2017 and 2021. His crimes occurred in Arizona and the Fort Worth area of Texas. Thornburg claimed that he viewed the killings as religious sacrifices, although prosecutors argued that he used religious language to manipulate vulnerable people and rationalize acts of calculated violence.
Thornburg was born on August 27, 1980, in Cerritos, California. By 2021, he was living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and working intermittently as an electrician's apprentice. He frequently discussed the Bible and presented himself as deeply religious. Investigators later concluded that he used his familiarity with scripture to gain the confidence of people who needed shelter, companionship or assistance.
The Disappearance of Tanya Begay
The earliest killing confessed to by Thornburg involved Tanya Teresa Begay, his girlfriend. Begay was a Navajo woman from the Gallup, New Mexico, area. She was last seen on March 3, 2017, after leaving a relative's home in Tohatchi, New Mexico, with Thornburg.
Begay had reportedly been traveling between Leupp, Arizona, and her family's home near Gallup. After leaving with Thornburg, she was never seen or heard from again. Her remains have not been publicly reported as recovered.
Following his arrest in Texas years later, Thornburg told investigators that he had killed a girlfriend in Arizona as a sacrifice. Authorities identified the woman he described as Begay. The alleged killing was believed to have occurred sometime between March 3 and March 13, 2017, at an unknown location within the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Because her body was not recovered, an exact date and cause of death could not be independently established through physical evidence.
...
MEMBER ACCESSContinue reading the complete profile
Unlock the full profile for Jason Thornburg, complete victim information, available sources, videos, and member discussions.
Unlock Full Access — $3.97/month Already a member? Log in
