MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — The Muskegon Heights Police Department is asking for your help to track down a murder suspect more than 11 months after a deadly shooting.
Joseph Jones is wanted in connection to the death of JaQuantay Crawford. The shooting happened on June 22, 2025, but Muskegon Heights police only released information on it today, 332 days later. A department spokesperson did not elaborate on why information about the shooting hadn't been publicized before.
Officers responded to the scene near Howell Avenue and Dyson Avenue and found Crawford with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A team of detectives from Muskegon Heights and Michigan State Police identified Jones as a suspect in the case early on, the department said, but were not able to locate him. The Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office authorized a warrant for Jones' arrest on open murder and weapons charges.
In the 11 months since the shooting, the Muskegon Heights Police Department and U.S. Marshal's Office have been searching for Jones. Now investigators have turned to neighbors in hopes someone with information on where Jones is hiding will step forward.
Jones previously served time in prison for multiple crimes, including possession and delivery of drugs plus resisting police officers, according to records at the Michigan Department of Corrections. His case file stretches back to 1997, with his last release coming in 2023.
The 47-year-old is described as 6-foot, 3-inches tall, weighing 205 pounds.
Tips can be sent to the Muskegon Heights Police Department at (231) 733-8900 or submitted anonymously through Silent Observer at (231) 722-7463.
