Lana Brown Bradley, a retired educator, was found dead April 4 after relatives asked deputies to check on her.
NATCHEZ, MS — A 29-year-old Natchez man is accused of killing and dismembering his mother after deputies found her remains during an April 4 welfare check at her Melanie Road home, Adams County officials said.
The case has shaken Natchez because the victim, 62-year-old Lana Brown Bradley, was known across the city as a longtime educator. Her son, Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., has been charged in the killing and remains jailed without bond. Authorities have described the investigation as one of the most disturbing cases they have handled, while relatives, former co-workers and school leaders have mourned Bradley as a steady presence in local classrooms.
Deputies went to Bradley’s home after her oldest son said he had not been able to reach her the day before, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said. Bradley had two other sons living with her, including Jackson. Patten said one son told deputies the home looked unusually clean and smelled strongly of cleaning products. “As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house,” Patten said. He said the floor was slick and the condition of the house did not match what relatives expected to see. Deputies then found Jackson locked in a downstairs bathroom, where investigators believed he was trying to get rid of evidence.
Patten said deputies noticed a dark substance in the toilet after the bathroom door was opened. He said the scene caused investigators to stop and expand the search. Deputies looked through the two-acre property, nearby woods, a bayou and creek areas around the home. Relatives also came to the property as the search widened. Patten said deputies heard a scream from the wooded area when a family member found part of Bradley’s remains. Investigators later found more remains in a suitcase, and Patten said additional evidence was recovered after the toilet was removed. Authorities have not released a full autopsy summary, a listed cause of death or a complete timeline of when Bradley died. Patten said the evidence showed an effort to hide what happened inside the home.
Investigators said the killing followed tension inside the household. Patten said relatives told investigators they had concerns about Jackson’s mental stability. The sheriff also said Bradley had feared for her safety and had started the process of having Jackson removed from the home. “He had threatened her the day before, because she was looking to have him evicted from the house,” Patten said. Bradley, a retired Natchez Adams School District educator, had worked for at least 30 years, according to local school officials and community members. Dr. Toni Martin, principal of Morgantown Elementary School, said Bradley made students and co-workers feel supported. “Her students felt valued and her colleagues felt supported,” Martin said.
Jackson has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem and tampering with physical evidence. Mayhem is a charge tied to disfiguring or dismembering another person. Officials said Jackson appeared in Adams County Justice Court on April 28 and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. That step moves the case forward without prosecutors having to present early evidence at that hearing. The case is expected to continue through the Adams County court system, where prosecutors may present the matter to a grand jury. Court records available through local reporting did not list a trial date. It was not immediately clear whether Jackson had entered a plea or whether an attorney had been appointed or retained to speak for him.
Patten called the case “by far the most heinous crime” he had seen in his career. He said investigators were struck not only by the condition of the home, but also by the work needed to recover Bradley’s remains across the property. The sheriff said Jackson had studied precision piping and described him as someone capable of planning his actions. Those comments came as investigators tried to address questions about mental health while also saying they believed the acts were deliberate. Friends and former colleagues have focused on Bradley’s years in education and her role in Natchez. Crime scene tape remained visible around the home for days after the discovery, a sign of how long investigators worked to process the property.
The investigation remains active, and Jackson remains in custody without bond after waiving his preliminary hearing April 28. Authorities have not announced a next court date, and several key questions, including the final cause and time of death, have not been released.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.