US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted Jory Worthen Captured in CA

Camden Police Chief Boyd Woody believes the elevation of Jory Worthen to the US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted and his profile on "In Pursuit with John Walsh" aided in his capture.

October 06, 2020

Jory Worthen [US Marshals]

By: Michelle Sigona

Camden Police Chief Boyd Woody believes the elevation of Jory Worthen to the US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted and his profile on "In Pursuit with John Walsh" earlier this year aided in his capture. They received an "enormous" amount of tips after the shows airing, Chief Boyd Woody confirms.

The Camden Police in Arkansas and the US Marshals say Jory Worthen is finally in custody and behind bars after being on the run for 16 months. He's charged with two counts of capital murder for the alleged killings of 20-year-old Alyssa Ponder and her son, 4-year-old Brayden Ponder.

At a press conference held by the Camden Police, Chief Boyd Woody said Worthen was tracked down by the US Marshals at a motel in Burbank, CA. When Worthen was confronted at the motel on October 5, 2020, he fled on foot and even climbed on top of roofs of some buildings in the area, including the motel where he was staying.

Worthen right after his capture [US Marshals]

Worthen right after his capture [US Marshals]

Worthen was captured after a brief foot chase and was swiftly taken into custody. Investigators took Worthen to the hospital before he was booked in the Los Angeles County Detention Center, Woody adds.

Woody says it's been a long 16 months and that Lt. LaRhonda Moore on his team has worked this investigation from the very beginning. At the press conference announcing the arrest, Moore became emotional when asked if she had been in touch with the victim's family.

Moore said, "She cried... we cried." Moore was also asked by a reporter if she was emotionally invested in this case and she responded that yes she is invested, "it's my job, it's my duty."

According to Chief Woody, Worthen was using the name, Ronald Kleiger and he was not employed. Investigators also say they knew Worthen fled after the murders in the victim's car and that that vehicle was found on the West Coast in Washington state. They knew if leads came in on the West Coast, those tips were a priority.

A blurred out Worthen and signature tattoos [US Marshals]

A blurred out Worthen and signature tattoos [US Marshals]

Worthen was apparently living at the motel over the last five or six months and no one else was with him during the arrest, authorities confirm. Chief Woody says Worthen tried to cover up at least one of his tattoos and he "gained a little weight."

Once "In Pursuit with John Walsh" aired Chief Woody said his department received an "enormous" amount of sightings. The leads went from the East Coast all the way to the West, Woody adds.

Worthen is awaiting extradition from California to Arkansas.

Featured Cases

More Missing