After five long years on the run, 25-year-old Dioblis Williams has been arrested in Massachusetts in connection with the 2020 death of 2-year-old Jamir Jones in Columbus, Ohio. The arrest is a stunning reversal of a case that has beleaguered the family of the toddler and shaken the community.
Williams, who is sought after for a warrant for murder, was taken into detention August 27, 2025, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He was found wearing a disguise of a ginger wig, verified later by U.S. Marshals and police officials from the area.
Columbus police were summoned to respond to a call of an unresponsive toddler at a house on Holt Avenue in March 2020. Investigators initially believed that Jamir Jones had drowned in a bathtub. But after an autopsy was performed, they found something far more ominous: The boy had blunt-force trauma to his abdomen and bruises to his head, neck, and body. The coroner of Franklin County ruled his death a homicide.
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At the time, Williams then the boyfriend of Jamir’s mother was babysitting the child. Court documents allege that Williams repeatedly struck Jamir, causing fatal injuries. He was questioned but not immediately charged, and within months, he vanished.
For years, investigators pursued leads across multiple states. Williams was tracked via internet footprints and social media usage, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. A lead was created when Framingham Police Department Officer Andrew Lewis was briefed on a multi-agency level about the case.
August 27, while on patrol, Police officer Lewis spotted a suspicious-looking fellow with a ginger wig atop his head.
“It didn’t look right,”
Stated Lewis to local media outlets.
“The guy matched the fugitive description from briefings.”
Williams quickly took off but soon abandoned his wig and surrendered.
The arrest was a result of a collaborative effort with the U.S. Marshals Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS), and Framingham Police. Acting U.S. Marshal Kevin Neal provided his approval of the effort with these words:
“Fugitives can run, but they cannot outrun justice. This capture is a testament to persistence and teamwork.”
For Jamir’s family, the arrest brings both relief and renewed grief. His grandmother, Bernice Anderson Pearson, broke down in tears when she received the news.
“Hallelujah, thank the Lord. I’ve been praying for this for five years. Five long years since 2020. I woke up shouting, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’”
She said.
Pearson described Jamir as “a sweet, loving little boy” who always said, “I love you.” She added:
“I knew he didn’t drown. That baby wouldn’t get in a bathtub on his own. He always took showers. I’ve been asking God for justice, and He said, ‘Vengeance is mine.’ Today, we got a piece of that justice.”
Williams was charged in court on August 28, 2025, at Worcester District Court and is still without bail. He is charged with extradition to Ohio to face trial for a murder charge.
Officials hope that the case will serve as a reminder that suspected child abuse must be reported to law enforcers. Over 1,700 children die every year from abuse and neglect in America, federal statistics indicate.
Acting Marshal Neal urged people to stay vigilant:
“If communities speak up and agencies work together, we can bring fugitives to justice and protect our most vulnerable.”
Jamir Jones’s death and Williams’s arrest are indicative of long-standing problems in protecting children and obtaining convictions in abuse cases. While the arrest offers a bare semblance of closure for the family, it illustrates systemic shortcomings from late charges to difficulties in chasing fugitives across states.
For Bernice Pearson, it’s bittersweet news:
“It took five years, but God kept His promise. Justice isn’t finished yet, but at least now we can begin to heal.”
