Mississippi mother says she shot escaped monkey to protect children

A Mississippi mother said she shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped after a truck rolled over last week because she feared it posed a threat to her children and others in the neighborhood.

Jessica Bond Ferguson told The Associated Press that she was in bed Sunday when her 16-year-old son warned her about a monkey running around the yard of their home near Heidelberg. Bond Ferguson said he grabbed his cell phone and firearm before going outside and saw the animal about 20 meters away.

Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old professional chef, said he opened fire out of concern for the safety of his children.

“I did what any mother would do to protect her children,” said Bond Ferguson, who has five children ages 4 to 16. “I shot at him, he just stood there, I shot again, he backed up and that’s when he fell.”

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The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Sunday that a homeowner found one of the escaped monkeys on their property that morning. The sheriff’s office said in a post on social media that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks detained the animal but did not provide further details.

Bond Ferguson said he called the police before going outside and was told to keep an eye on the monkey. But he hesitated, worried that if he escaped he might pose a threat to the children in the nearby house.

Wreckage was spotted near the Mississippi crash site as authorities tracked the animals in Heidelberg, Mississippi, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)

“If he had attacked someone’s child and I could have stopped him, it would have been very difficult for me,” Bond Ferguson said. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous with them running around and having kids playing in people’s yards.”

A truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys overturned on Interstate 59 near Heidelberg, Mississippi, on Tuesday, sparking a days-long search for the escaped animals.

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According to Tulane University, 13 monkeys were found at the crash site and were successfully transported to the targeted location last week. Five people were killed during the search, while three others remained missing until rescued by a homeowner on Sunday, authorities said.

While two Rehsus monkeys were released as of Monday, authorities warned residents that the primates were “aggressive”. (Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi)

The monkeys were housed at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in New Orleans, which provides primates to scientific research organizations. Tulane said in a statement that the animals did not belong to the university and were not transported by university staff.

Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said initial reports from those inside the truck warned that the monkeys were dangerous and could potentially carry disease. However, Tulane officials later confirmed that the monkeys had recently undergone a health screening and were free of pathogens.

People in protective suits search along a highway near an overturned truck carrying research monkeys in Heidelberg, Miss., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)

Despite this, Johnson stated that authorities still see the animals as a threat due to their aggressive nature and that the animals should be “neutralized”.

The status of the two remaining free monkeys was unclear as of the last update.

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The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred about 100 miles away from the state capital, Jackson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.