Genene Jones was born on July 13, 1950, in Texas. She was adopted by a nightclub owner and his wife. Growing up, she learned different skills and worked as a beautician before deciding to pursue a career in nursing. In the late 1970s, she attended nursing school to become a licensed vocational nurse.

In her personal life, Genene was married to her high school sweetheart from 1968 until 1974. During their marriage, they had one child, but the couple eventually got a divorce. After a few years apart, they reconciled and had another child together in 1977. Just before she faced serious legal issues, Genene married a much younger nursing assistant, but this marriage ended shortly after.

In her nursing career, Genene took a job at the Bexar County Hospital in San Antonio. She worked in the pediatric intensive care unit. While there, a number of children died under her care, which raised concerns among hospital staff. Instead of investigating the situation, the hospital chose to have all licensed vocational nurses, including Jones, resign. Following this, Jones accepted a position at a pediatrician's clinic in Kerrville, Texas, located about 60 miles from San Antonio.

In 1985, Genene Jones was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan. She was found guilty of administering succinylcholine, a drug that caused the child’s death. Later in the same year, she faced additional charges for harming several other children. These included Brandy Benites, Chris Parker, Jimmy Pearson, Misty Reichenau, and Jacob Evans. Each case involved accusations that she “intentionally and knowingly” injured the children by injecting them with succinylcholine or other drugs.

Jones was also sentenced to 60 years in prison for the nearly fatal poisoning of Rolando Santos with heparin. After being held at the Lane Murray Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, she became eligible for mandatory release in 2018 due to Texas laws aimed at reducing prison overcrowding. To prevent her release, Jones was indicted on May 25, 2017, for the murder of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer, who died on December 12, 1981.

In April 2018, a judge denied her request to dismiss five new murder indictments. On January 16, 2020, Jones pleaded guilty to the murder of Joshua Sawyer, and as part of a plea bargain, four other charges were dropped. She was sentenced to life in prison and will not be eligible for parole until she is approximately 87 years old, around the year 2037.