When Gregory Rice’s body was found weeks after he was reported missing in 2020, his former longtime partner, Meagan Jackson, was the first person police went to question amid the investigation. In Us Weekly’s latest episode of Uncovered, investigative reporter Kristin Thorne breaks down how Jackson’s involvement in Rice’s death will have a long-term impact on their children.
“I see a lot of similarities in the true crime stories that I cover, and one of them is it’s always the kids that are getting hurt,” Thorne said during the latest episode. “The adults, the parents, they go out and make all these stupid decisions and hurt each other and kill and it’s the kids that end up being hurt in the process.”
Thorne added that kids are “the ones that have to carry this trauma with them as they grow up” and they become adults.
“Where do you think that trauma goes? To their kids and then their kids. And so adults, parents, need to think about what they’re doing,” Thorne concluded. “Because they’re not just hurting the other person, they’re also hurting their children.”
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Rice and Jackson were not romantically involved when he was reported missing and was ultimately found dead in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. However, Jackson quickly became a prime suspect in the case due to her long history with Rice and the family they created together.
When police went to talk to Jackson, she claimed she was with her coroner boyfriend, Christopher Dontell, at the time that Rice disappeared. Dontell worked at the Horry County Coroner’s Office, the same office that Jackson worked as a transporter.
Rice’s body was found one month after he disappeared by a woman catfishing in a local river. She found his body wrapped in a tarp. An autopsy showed Rice had been shot several times.
Both Jackson and Dontell – who was married at the time – were eventually arrested in connection to Rice’s death, with authorities being skeptical of their knowledge on how to get rid of dead bodies due to their work at a coroner’s office. The case also exposed their one year-long affair.
After Dontell insisted he had nothing to do with killing Rice, he agreed to testify against his mistress, saying that Jackson was the one who shot Rice. However, Dontell was still on trial himself for allegedly disposing of Rice’s body.
During the trial, Jackson’s children opened up about how Dontell’s involvement in Rice’s killing negatively impacted their family life.
Savannah Rice said during the trial that it was Jackson and Dontell’s fault that she and her siblings will never “live a normal life” again, according to Sun News.
She went on to share that Dontell consoled her when her father first went missing. “He held me as I cried,” she recalled.
Dontell eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and accessory in December 2024, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison during a July 2025 hearing.
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Before he received his sentencing, Dontell expressed his regret over being involved in the crime. “To simply keep saying ‘I’m sorry’ just doesn’t feel right,” he tearfully said while in court, per Sun News.
He explained that he “chose to overlook everything bad” in Jackson because she dedicated time to his family. Dontell also alleged that Jackson said she wanted to kill Rice, her kids and him on several occasions, though he never thought much of the comments.
Meanwhile, Jackson was found guilty of murder in June 2025 and she was sentenced to life in prison that same month.
