SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Opening statements began Thursday in the trial of a man accused in the disappearance and death of his 2-year-old stepson in 2002.
Tieray Jones is charged with the murder of 2-year-old Jahi Turner, who was last seen at a park just outside of Balboa Park on April 25, 2002.
Jones reported the boy missing, telling police that Jahi had wandered away. Jahi was in Jones' care while the boy's mother was on deployment.
RELATED: Stepfather to stand trial in Jahi Turner murder case
A countywide search ensued, with thousands of people looking for the boy at the park, the Golden Hill neighborhood where he lived and the Miramar Landfill, but Jahi has never been found.
In April 2016, Jones was arrested in North Carolina and charged in his stepson's death.
RELATED: Detective: Jahi Turner's stepfather "animated" and "very distracted" after boy disappeared in 2002
The 39-year-old Jones faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
