Carver in Custody in Mississippi, Facing Charges in Death of Nephew

When Victor Jerome “Jerry” Carver III was released from the Wayne County Jail in August after a Manslaughter charge in Jasper County, Mississippi, was dismissed, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said the case was far from being over. It appears now that Sheriff Johnson was right.

The criminal investigation of Jerry Carver began with discovery of the body of 17-year-old Caden Cantrelle, who was Carver’s nephew. Cantrelle, who had previously lived in Collinwood, had reportedly been in the official custody of the State of Tennessee on July 7, 2025, when his body was discovered on the shoulder of County Road 39 in Vossburg, Mississippi.

When the body was identified as Caden Cantrelle, Jasper County Sheriff Johnson and his investigators began trying to figure out just how and why Caden was sadly disposed of like trash in their county.

“It’s a terrible thing,” said Sheriff Johnson at the time while speaking with The Wayne County News. “No one deserves to just be thrown out and abandoned like that, especially a young 17-year-old like Caden.”

An investigation into Caden’s death revealed that he had been in state’s custody, but the State of Tennessee released him prior to July 7 into the custody of his uncle, Jerry Carver, for an unconfirmed period of time. Caden was allegedly supposed to report back to Child Protective Services on Monday following his release into Carver’s custody.

What initially started the deadly chain of events was Caden’s release into his uncle’s custody. Jerry Carver is a convicted felon with a lengthy rap sheet that includes multiple charges for illegal drugs and violent offenses, including attempted aggravated assault. It was reported that at least two Tennessee Department of Children’s Services employees lost their jobs following Caden’s death.

Even though Caden was never supposed to leave Tennessee following his release into Carver’s custody, Carver transported him to Louisiana, allegedly to visit family living there.

When Caden failed to report back to Child Protective Services (CPS) on the Monday following his release into Carver’s custody, CPS contacted a family member who allegedly provided information that the last known location of Caden’s phone was near the intersection of County Road 8 and County Road 39 in Vossburg, Mississippi. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by CPS at that time and given the location of Caden’s phone. The Sheriff’s Office immediately sent deputies to the location, and Caden’s remains were recovered at approximately 4:35 p.m. on Monday, July 7. Deputies reportedly found Cantrelle’s body lying in a mass of kudzu vines in a deep ditch about five feet off the edge of the road. “If he’d been out there another 5-6 feet, we wouldn’t have found him,” Sheriff Johnson said. “It was a deep ravine.”

Carver had already made his way back to Wayne County by the time Caden’s body was discovered. Given the circumstances, especially considering Carver’s suspicious arrival back in Wayne County without Caden, Carver was taken into custody by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of Manslaughter, filed by Jasper County, MS.

Carver remained in custody in Wayne County until Caden’s preliminary autopsy report came back. “There just wasn’t anything on that preliminary report that gave us cause to hold Carver any longer,” said Sheriff Johnson. The Manslaughter charge was dismissed, so Carver was released from Wayne County Jail with no conditions at that time. “This case is not over, by any means,” said Sheriff Johnson.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office issued a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) for Jerry Carver on Monday, September 29. A statement from Sheriff Shane Fisher said that Carver had eluded WCSO deputies as they were trying to serve him with arrest warrants. Carver first fled in a vehicle, then on foot into a wooded area near the Woodlawn and Shawnettee communities.

A follow-up alert from the WCSO on Tuesday, September 30, stated that Carver had been apprehended and was in custody. He was charged as a Fugitive from Justice in Wayne County, Tennessee, but that charge was much less important than the arrest warrants from Jasper County, Mississippi. Sheriff Fisher confirmed that the arrest warrants were for charges of Child Endangerment and Culpable Negligence Homicide.

The Jasper County, MS Grand Jury indicted Carver on those charges on September 29, the day Wayne County officers tried to serve the capias warrants. The capias explains the charges as follows:

Count 1: Culpable Negligence Homicide – “In said County and State, on or about July 6, 2025, (defendant) did unlawfully and feloniously kill Caden Cantrelle, a human being, without malice, in the commission of an act of culpable negligence and without authority of law, to wit: providing Caden Cantrelle, a minor child, the means to ingest and/or permitting and allowing Caden Cantrelle, a minor child, to ingest the Schedule II controlled substances fentanyl and methamphetamine.”

Count II: Child Endangerment – “In said County and State, on or about July 6, 2025, (defendant) did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly endanger a minor child’s person or health by knowingly causing or permitting Caden Cantrelle (a 17 year old minor), to be present where any person is selling, manufacturing, or possessing a chemical substance with the intent to manufacture, sell, or possess a controlled substance as prohibited, as the parent, legal guardian, or caretaker of the child.”

The wording of the Grand Jury capias clearly states that Carver killed Caden Cantrelle by providing him with fentanyl and methamphetamine and allowing him to ingest the fatal drugs.

“I fully intend to do everything in my power to see that Jerry Carver is held responsible for the death of Caden Cantrelle,” said Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson. “This whole thing is a tragedy that didn’t have to happen. We will get justice for Caden.”

Carver was extradited from Wayne County back to Jasper County, Mississippi on Friday. He was booked into the Jasper County Jail where he is currently being held with no bond per Mississippi Circuit Judge Stan Sorey.