FLORENCE – Florence police are soliciting the public’s help in locating a man who has been implicated in the July 29 murder of Lula Addison. Her body was found hidden under a bed at the City Lodge on Court Street. Now detectives think they have zeroed-in on a suspect. It appears, however, that the man is not making it easy for the police to find him.
Here is their media release: “The Florence Police Department would like to thank all those that have come forward with information so far. It has helped us get to this point, but we need more help from the public.
We would like to share a Person of Interest with you in the Lula Addison murder investigation. His name is Eugene Lee Jones. People may know him as “Gene”. He is a black male, 6’2”, 202 pounds, he has a dark complexion and gray facial hair. He is homeless and from the Birmingham area. We know that he came to Florence this summer and has stayed with several people in the area for around 3 weeks.
He was arrested (Monday, July 29) in Florence and transported to the Bessemer City Jail on outstanding warrants with that agency. We believe there are people out there that had contact with Jones or that have other helpful information.
We need those people to contact us. We are asking for anyone who saw or spoke with Jones or let him stay at their house from Thursday, July 25 through Sunday, July 28th to call the Florence Police Department. Many times people may have what they believe to be small, insignificant information.
Any information about this individual or this case is considered important and we need it. We also want to thank Ms. Addison’s family for their patience and support during this investigation. I want to assure them that this case is still our highest priority and we want to bring their loved one’s killer to justice.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Florence Police at 256-768-2764; Through Crime Stoppers at 256-386-8685; By using our mobile apps; or texting your information to us using your cell phone, text “FPDTIP” plus your message and send it to “CRIMES” (274637).”
