Mississippi man faces charges for killing his mother, allegedly disposing of her remains by flushing them down a toilet.

A Mississippi man has been charged in the killing of his mother after authorities say they caught him attempting to flush pieces of her remains down a toilet—an act a local sheriff described as “one of the most heinous crimes” he has ever witnessed.

Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., 29, is facing charges including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem, and evidence tampering in connection with the death of his mother, 62-year-old retired teacher Lana Brown Bradley.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies first responded on April 4 to Bradley’s home in Natchez after relatives reported her missing.

Jackson was initially described as a family member, but investigators later confirmed he is her son.

“This is by far the most heinous crime I’ve ever witnessed in my life. We weren’t out there that day—it was something we encountered when we arrived. It’s a case you never, ever forget. It’s the kind that stays with you long after you go home,” Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten told WJTV.

Deputies were called to Bradley’s home after her eldest son was unable to contact her the day before. Two of her other sons were living with her at the time.

“As soon as they entered the home, they noticed signs that someone had been cleaning and could smell chemicals throughout. The floors were extremely slippery, and the older son said it was unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning like that,” Patten said.

Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom where deputies reported seeing a dark substance in the toilet.

“I can confirm what was in the toilet—it was her flesh. He cut her into pieces and dismembered her in a way meant to make it difficult for anyone searching for her to find her, and that’s exactly what we had to do,” the sheriff said.

Authorities added that Jackson allegedly put some of his mother’s body parts in a suitcase and attempted to dispose of the rest by flushing them down the toilet.

According to the sheriff, Bradley had threatened to evict her son, citing family interviews that described Jackson as mentally unstable.

However, Patten noted that Jackson appeared “very calculating” in the way the crime was allegedly carried out.

“He threatened her the day before because she was trying to have him evicted. She had already begun the process and had gone to court the previous day to have him removed from the home,” Patten said.