A cold case involving the death of an elderly Delight woman in 2014 has resulted in a murder charge filed against her grandson.
A first-degree murder charge was filed Jan. 7 against Dustin B. Hembey, 43, who is currently in the state prison system, for the death of Jo Ann Hembey, 72, who died Sept. 13, 2014 in a home she shared with her grandson.
The case against Mr. Hembey began in July 2013 while he was in state custody at Malvern. He reportedly made a statement to a prison guard there that he planned to kill family members when he was released from prison in May 2014.
On June 8, Mr. Hembey made a 911 call to the Pike County Sheriff’s Department and stated the elder Hembey had fallen and hurt her head.
Court records state that Dustin Hembey referred to Jo Ann Hembey as his mother.
Also in June, a healthcare worker assigned to Ms. Hembey made a 911 call regarding alleged violent behavior of Dustin toward his grandmother. The incident was reported to the Adult Protective Services but the findings were unfounded.
On the night of Sept. 13, 2014, Dustin Hembey made another 911 call to again report his grandmother had fell and hit her head. When first responders arrived on the scene, Dustin told them Jo Ann had hit her head on the coffee table and that he had moved her to the bedroom and placed her on the bed. A responder became suspicious of the extent of the victim’s injuries and the fact there was no blood on the table and all items on it were undisturbed.
Dustin Hembey was arrested that night on a weapon violation and taken into county custody. While in the county jail, Dustin reportedly told an inmate that he pushed his grandmother down and that he hoped she would die. That inmate also gave an interview while in the state prison system implementing Dustin in the death.
A caretaker for the elderly woman also stated that Dustin had told her he was “tired of taking care of a sick person” and that Dustin did not seemed bothered by the injuries suffered by his grandmother.
On Dec. 15, 2014, the state medical examiners officer determined Jon Ann Hembey died from multiple blunt force injuries complicating her emphysema and hypertensive heart disease.
