BRUNSWICK, Ga. –
The son of a woman reported missing last month from Glynn County has been indicted on charges of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault, the Glynn County Police Department announced Wednesday.
Linda Mansfield, 72, was reportedly last seen the week of May 15 and was reported missing May 23 from her Mackay Drive home, police said.
Her body has not been found.
Police said last month that they suspected foul play in her disappearance and that her eldest son, John Rosevelt, who lives with her, had been arrested the day she was reported missing.
Rosevelt, 49, initially faced five counts of forgery and one count of theft.
Police announced Wednesday that he has been indicted on charges of malice murder, aggravated assault, felony murder, concealing the death of another, tampering with evidence, terroristic threats and two counts of making false statements.
Rosevelt's brother, David Rosevelt, said he's devastated because he's lost not only his mother but his brother, but he's relieved that his older brother is facing charges.
"We haven’t been able to really respond to it emotionally, so it's kind of tough," David Rosevelt said. "I'm glad that they're charging him now. Hopefully, we'll find her and hopefully we'll find an end to it."
David Rosevelt and his wife, Dawn, said it hasn't gotten any easier for them or the rest of Mansfield's large family in the month since she disappeared.
"All we want to do right now is to find her and put her to rest," Dawn Rosevelt said. "She's got a million friends in this town who feel the same way."
David and Dawn Rosevelt said it's twice as bad knowing that Mansfield is gone and not being able to find her body so they can move toward closure. They said they have no desire to see or speak to John Rosevelt again.
The Rosevelts said they moved back to Brunswick a few years ago to help take care of Mansfield as she got older. They said she would do absolutely anything for her grandchildren, including putting up a playground for them.
"She was a mother in all respects," David Rosevelt said. "She always was working and taking care of her children."
The Rosevelts said it's also a hardship that they can't get to Mansfield's home, because it remains a blocked off crime scene.
Mansfield was not home when officers went to Mackay Drive just before 11:30 a.m. May 23 to check on her, and police said the circumstances of her disappearance were suspicious, so they filed a missing person report.
John Rosevelt's indictment indicated police found something in the home that led them to believe John had tried to remove his mother's blood and other fluids from inside the home.
Anyone with information on the location of Mansfield's body is asked to call the Police Department's detectives at 912-554-7802, or contact Silent Witness at 912-264-1333.