Endangered man’s hidden car leads searchers to his body in the woods, Alabama cops say
A missing man’s car hidden in the woods led to the discovery of his body in a shallow grave, Alabama authorities said.
Now, homicide investigators are searching for those responsible.
Jewel Bendolph, 38, was involved in an argument before he disappeared the early morning of March 2, the Birmingham Police Department said in a missing person alert.
Police believed him to be in danger.
His family put out pleas for information and organized search parties.
“If you know something please let me know,” his sister, Monica Bendolph, wrote on Facebook. “If you want money I’ll give you everything I have!!! Money isn’t an issue with me nor my family we just want Jewel.”
Deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call about an abandoned car in the woods shortly after 4 p.m. March 5.
They found Bendolph’s silver Honda Civic, which “appeared to have been intentionally covered to conceal it,” deputies said in a March 6 news release.
A cadaver dog was bought in, and human remains were found in a shallow, clandestine grave, officials said.
The Jefferson County coroner used fingerprints to confirm the remains belonged to Bendolph, according to a news release. His cause of death has not been released at this time.
The Birmingham man was found more than 20 miles from the BP gas station where he was last seen alive.
“What a bond to break,” his sister wrote on Facebook. “My brother would give you the shirt off his back.”
Detectives with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Birmingham Police Department are coordinating to identify suspects in what they are calling a homicide.
“He was a guy that liked to have a lot of fun, laughing, loved his family but when he left here, I had no idea he would not return,” his grandmother, Patricia Lewis, told WVTM.
His body was found in Pinson, about a 15-mile drive northeast from downtown Birmingham.
This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Endangered man’s hidden car leads searchers to his body in the woods, Alabama cops say."