A son called 911 to report his 62-year-old mom was ‘abducted by aliens,’ then police walked into his backyard and found a fire still burning

A Georgia man who claimed his mother was “abducted” after he burned her body in their home’s backyard will spend a decade in prison. Jason Christopher Campbell, 35, was found guilty on Friday, October 30, of concealing a death in connection with the discovery of his mother’s charred remains. As reported by Law&Crime, a judge handed down a sentence of 10 years in confinement following a five-day trial in Banks County Superior Court.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Campbell burned the body of his 62-year-old mother, Marie Campbell, in January 2025 to conceal her death. Marie Campbell, who lived with her son on Bennett Road in Homer and worked at T.J. Maxx in Cornelia, was reported missing on January 6, 2025. Her disappearance sparked searches by neighbors and appeals from her family, as detailed by NowGeorgia.

When authorities began investigating, they found Marie Campbell’s car, purse, identification, and phone still at her home. Her vehicle had remained parked outside the home since January 5, according to an incident report.

His account of where his mother went kept shifting

Jason Campbell’s story about his mother’s whereabouts changed during the investigation. On January 8, 2025, he told a deputy that an unknown person had picked up his mother from the residence three days earlier and that he had not heard from her since, the report states.

Jason Campbell had also called 911 on January 7, 2025, and told dispatchers that his mother had been “abducted by aliens.” Police went to the Campbells’ house to conduct a search after the call.

During their search, officers went into the backyard of the Campbell residence, where they found a fire still burning. Along with the flames, police located a burned mattress and human remains.

Investigators also found a vehicle at the property with one seat either missing or folded down, and a mud-covered sheet was reportedly covering the area. The remains were later identified as belonging to Marie Campbell.

Authorities did not provide a cause or manner of death for Marie Campbell, and Jason Campbell was not charged with causing her death. The charges against him focused specifically on concealing her death, with prosecutors arguing that he burned his mother’s body to hide what had happened.

Following the five-day trial, the jury found Jason Campbell guilty of concealing a death. Superior Court Judge Albert Collier presided over the proceedings and handed down the 10-year prison sentence.

The Banks County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation with help from several other agencies. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, including its Office of the Medical Examiner and Forensic Anthropology Department, provided assistance. The GBI is also currently investigating the case of two DeKalb County officers shot in the Atlanta area.

Other agencies that assisted included the FBI’s Gainesville Resident Agency and its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, as well as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division and the Forsyth and Hall County sheriff’s offices. Jason Campbell was charged with concealing his mother’s death in February 2025.