FBI: Indiana man kidnapped, shot, buried wife
A Southern Indiana man kidnapped his estranged wife in Florida, shot and killed her in his vehicle and then buried her body in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee before he was arrested Friday in Louisville, court records allege.
Jarvis Madison, 58, of New Albany, is facing a charge of kidnapping that resulted in the death of 44-year-old Rachael Madison, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida. He is currently being housed in Clark County Jail on a charge of criminal confinement.
According to the complaint, which was obtained by the Courier-Journal, Rachael Madison was last seen leaving her aunt's residence in Ormond Beach, Fla., around 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 to go for a run. She had recently moved in with her aunt after fleeing from Jarvis Madison after a domestic violence incident on Nov. 14.
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On Nov. 14, Rachael Madison told Indiana State Police that her husband held her captive in his vehicle and verbally threatened her while holding his .45-caliber pistol. He pulled over near the 39 mile marker on Interstate 64 West to use the restroom and she attempted to escape. As she made the attempt, he fired a single round at her but missed.
She was able to escape while Jarvis Madison went into a Wal-Mart in Clarksville later that day. She left behind her cell phone and other personal items. He was later interviewed by Indiana State Police, and a warrant for criminal confinement was issued on Nov. 28 in Clark County Circuit Court, the complaint said.
The day before the incident, Rachael Madison had called her aunt to pick her up. The aunt was en route to Indiana and picked her up at the Wal-Mart. After an interview with Indiana State Police, the two returned to Ormond Beach, Fla.
After she went missing on Nov. 27, FBI agents traced her cell phone, the complaint said. Cell phone towers indicated the phone was in Ormond, Fla., on Nov. 27, Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 28, Columbia, S.C., on Nov. 28, and Weston, W. Va., on Nov. 29.
An acquaintance of Jarvis Madison told authorities that he showed up at her house in Buckhannon, W. Va., on Nov. 28 in his silver Honda Pilot. He parked away from the house and said he was alone. He took a shower, ate a meal and left approximately four hours later, the complaint said.
He was located on Friday by the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force in Louisville traveling in his silver Honda Pilot. However, he had changed the Indiana license plate to a Tennessee license plate that was not registered to him, the complaint said.
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During an interview with the FBI in Louisville, he said he traveled to Ormond Beach to give his wife her stuff. He said they kissed and she got into his vehicle. He admitted to shooting her three times somewhere in either Florida or Georgia and then he buried her body in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Jarvis Madison assisted the FBI in locating her remains, which were found off of a road near Exit 407 of Interstate 40 near Kodak, Tenn., the complaint said.
Authorities obtained a search warrant and found a loaded .45 caliber pistol, blood stains, cell phones and a receipt for a shovel in the Honda Pilot. They also found pictures of Rachael Madison deceased on his cell phone.
Jarvis Madison appeared in Clark County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon. He will likely be extradited to Florida to face the federal charges.
Justin Sayers can be reached at 502-582-4252 or jsayers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @_JustinSayers.
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