Steven Jackson Jr.
Jackson, circa 2010; Jason Benn; Louis Chaney; Anthony Davis; Ricky Thornton; Gino Uzzell
- Missing Since 06/13/2010
- Missing From Guilderland, New York
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Male
- Race Black
- Age 39 years old
- Height and Weight 5'6, 175 pounds
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. Jackson's nickname is Swag.
Details of Disappearance
Jackson was last seen in Guilderland, New York on June 13, 2010. He has never been heard from again. He was reported missing on June 15.
In January 2011, four men were charged with first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy in Jackson's case. Investigators believe the defendants, Gino "G" Uzzell, Anthony "Inf" Davis, Ricky "L" Thornton and Jason "Jay" Benn, abducted him outside a marijuana storage house in the 40 block of Parkwood Street, off New Scotland Avenue, at 1:00 p.m. on June 13.
Benn was additionally charged with possessing stolen property, because he used Jackson's credit card at a supermarket the day of the kidnapping. A fifth man, Louis "God" "UB" Chaney, was later charged in the abduction as well. Photos of the five men are posted with this case summary.
Jackson was a high-level marijuana dealer and Uzzell was his partner in the operation. Jackson was "flashy" and habitually carried large amounts of cash, sometimes six-figure sums. At the time of his abduction, he was waiting for the delivery of 500 pounds of drugs.
Authorities stated the suspects planned to force Jackson to reveal the location of drugs and/or money from drug sales, then "leave him to die." Jackson was allegedly hog-tied, bound with duct tape, and beaten. At some point he died, and his body was wrapped in a blanket and dumped into a sewer.
Uzzell and Davis subsequently took plea bargains: Uzzell pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy in February 2011, and Davis to second-degree kidnapping in March. Uzzell admitted he'd orchestrated the abduction and stated he had hidden a GPS device in Jackson's car almost two months beforehand, so Thornton and Davis could track his whereabouts. Davis stated he'd helped abduct Jackson and later helped dump his body.
Uzzell and Davis testified at the trial of the three men, who were later additionally charged with murder, burglary and evidence tampering. At their trial in late 2011, Chaney and Benn were acquitted of conspiracy and Benn was acquitted of evidence tampering, but convicted of possessing stolen property.
A mistrial was declared because the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the kidnapping, burglary and murder charges. At the second trial, Benn, Chaney and Thornton were acquitted of all charges.
Investigators believe Thornton and Davis could have also been involved in the disappearances of Donald Green and Ashley Carroll, both of whom vanished from Albany in 2010. The two men have not been named as suspects in those cases, however.
Jackson's body has never been found, but foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
- Guilderland Police Department 518-356-1501
Source Information
Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 6, 2018; casefile added.