JOHNSTON COUNTY, NC – A 30-year-old Garner man, Lance Nolan Pearce, has been charged with murder following the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, Jensen Scott Jackson.
Pearce, a resident of the 10400 block of Cleveland Road, was initially arrested after authorities were alerted to the child’s critical injuries. On July 3 around 6:02 p.m., Johnston County EMS responded to a report of a child experiencing a seizure. The toddler was transported to Wake Med with severe head trauma and visible bruising.
By early July 4, Wake Med contacted the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, triggering a broader investigation. Meanwhile, Johnston County Department of Social Services had already visited the home on Cleveland Road to check on two other children, ages 2 and 3, who were also living there. Those children were removed from the residence and taken for medical evaluation.
Pearce, who was identified as the live-in boyfriend of the child’s mother, Kayla Michelle Blue, voluntarily spoke with investigators. He was initially charged with intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury and held on a $500,000 bond.
Tragically, on July 6, Jensen Scott Jackson succumbed to his injuries. The next day, Pearce’s charges were upgraded to murder, and he is now being held without bond at the Johnston County Detention Center in Smithfield.
The investigation remains active, and authorities are withholding further information at this time.
