Contested death (2000 to present)

Donté Perez Jones

OpenJun 17, 2022 · Age 35 · Whitpain Township (Blue Bell), PA

Who Donté was

Donté Perez Jones was 35 and lived in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, near Sharon Hill. He was a father of three. Whitpain Township Police described him as a son, a father, an Army veteran and a member of his Sharon Hill community.

His mother, LaTina Dean, said he went to Shippensburg University for both undergraduate and graduate school. He served in the U.S. Army; Atlanta Black Star reported six years of service.

According to the family's GoFundMe, he worked at Piedmont Airlines, had finished a commercial driver's license program and was looking forward to his final CDL exam that summer. He planned to travel with his children and start a career in trucking. A janazah service was held June 25, 2022, at Terry Funeral Home in Philadelphia.

In the words of those who knew them

“Donte honored and served his country in the United States Army,”His mother, LaTina Bedford-Dean, on the family's GoFundMe · source
“He was excited to take the final CDL exam this summer,”His mother, LaTina Bedford-Dean, on the family's GoFundMe · source
“This is an educated man that went to Shippensburg [University] for undergrad and grad,”His mother, LaTina Dean · source
“Mr. Jones was a son, a father, an Army veteran, and a member of his Sharon Hill community.”Whitpain Township Police Department statement · source

What happened

Donté Perez Jones, a 35-year-old Army veteran and father of three from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, visited his mother, LaTina Dean, around 11:40 p.m. on June 16, 2022. The next morning a passerby found him in Wentz Run Park in Whitpain Township, about an hour from his home.

Dean said police first told her the death was a suicide and the case was closed, and that the coroner's office initially declined an autopsy. She said she wasn't allowed to see the body, and relatives said his wallet was missing. After public pressure, the police chief apologized and promised a full investigation and autopsy. On June 21 the department said the case would stay open until the Montgomery County Coroner's Office reported a cause and manner of death, and denied having told the family it was closed.

The family raised money for an independent autopsy and legal help, and Dean has said publicly that she believes her son was killed. No coroner finding has been made public.

The case

Where found: Wentz Run Park, a township park behind the Whitpain Township Police Department, about an hour from his home in Delaware County
Official finding: Pending. No Montgomery County Coroner's finding located. Police said early on that the death appeared to be a suicide (Daily Beast, July 2022). On June 21, 2022, Whitpain Township Police said the investigation would not be closed until the coroner's office released its report on cause and manner of death.
Investigation: Whitpain Township Police with the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. Police Chief Kenneth Lawson said a passerby reported finding him around 7:45 a.m. and a search of the park found "nothing suspicious." The chief later called his mother, apologized, and promised a full investigation and autopsy.
Family position: His mother, LaTina Dean, said there are "much more details that point to that this was a murder" and asked, "How do you not have answers for me?" (Atlanta Black Star, June 25, 2022). In her GoFundMe she wrote, "The family will not rest until the truth surrounding Donte's death is revealed."
Public evidence: The family said his wallet was missing, they weren't allowed to view the body, the coroner's office at first declined an autopsy because the death had been called a suicide, and police told them a camera near the park was a live feed that may not have recorded. Police denied telling his mother the case was closed.
Federal review: None reported. The family said they contacted government officials, NAACP representatives and state representatives.
Last verified: 2026-11-14

Verification note: Time found: Atlanta Black Star and Black Enterprise say about 7:45 a.m.; Black Wall Street Times and Blavity say about 7 a.m. Age 35 comes only from the Daily Beast. Black Wall Street Times and Blavity report police told his mother it was a closed suicide case; Whitpain police said in a June 21 statement that it "did not report that the investigation is closed." A 2025 follow-up by the Philadelphia Standard couldn't be opened and may report a later coroner finding.

Sources

Record history

Nov 14, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- What happened updated
Oct 27, 2026 · Reviewed update
Record updated
- Life updated
- Remembered updated
- Life sources updated
Oct 23, 2026 · Reviewed update
Case added
- Name: Donté Perez Jones
- Age: 35
- Date found: 2022-06-17
- City or county: Whitpain Township (Blue Bell)
- State: PA
- What happened updated
- What happened sources updated
- Where found: Wentz Run Park, a township park behind the Whitpain Township Police Department, about an hour from his home in Delaware County
- Official finding: Pending. No Montgomery County Coroner's finding located. Police said early on that the death appeared to be a suicide (Daily Beast, July 2022). On June 21, 2022, Whitpain Township Police said the investigation would not be closed until the coroner's office released its report on cause and manner of death.
- Investigation: Whitpain Township Police with the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. Police Chief Kenneth Lawson said a passerby reported finding him around 7:45 a.m. and a search of the park found "nothing suspicious." The chief later called his mother, apologized, and promised a full investigation and autopsy.
- Family position: His mother, LaTina Dean, said there are "much more details that point to that this was a murder" and asked, "How do you not have answers for me?" (Atlanta Black Star, June 25, 2022). In her GoFundMe she wrote, "The family will not rest until the truth surrounding Donte's death is revealed."
- Public evidence: The family said his wallet was missing, they weren't allowed to view the body, the coroner's office at first declined an autopsy because the death had been called a suicide, and police told them a camera near the park was a live feed that may not have recorded. Police denied telling his mother the case was closed.
- Federal review: None reported. The family said they contacted government officials, NAACP representatives and state representatives.
- Verification note: Time found: Atlanta Black Star and Black Enterprise say about 7:45 a.m.; Black Wall Street Times and Blavity say about 7 a.m. Age 35 comes only from the Daily Beast. Black Wall Street Times and Blavity report police told his mother it was a closed suicide case; Whitpain police said in a June 21 statement that it "did not report that the investigation is closed." A 2025 follow-up by the Philadelphia Standard couldn't be opened and may report a later coroner finding.
- Sources updated