Let's Hear from Websleuths Members!!!! Please Read

[Tricia]

Hi Everyone,

You all have done incredible work in this case. I love it. People from all over the world come together on Websleuths and dive in to see if they can help get the justice the 8 victims deserve.

This is very frustrating I'm sure because things have slowed down. The last post on the "Latest Developments" thread was at the end of January.

I'm starting a new thread because I want to get people's attention.

Websleuths is looking at being not only a popular true crime discussion forum but possibly a TV show. Can't tell you much more other than if this happens so many cold cases and missing person cases will get the attention they all deserve. We need to wake America up to the epidemic of missing persons and murders, especially of women of color, that does not get nearly enough attention from the right people.

Take this case. For those who may be new to this forum could you all jump in and answer the following, please?

*Does anyone know if there have been any new developments?

*Are there any solid suspects? If so who?

*Why do you think this case has stalled?

*What can Websleuths do to help this case get back in the spotlight?

Let's put our heads and hearts together and see what we can come up with to help find the killer(s) of

Loretta Chaisson
Ernistene Patterson
Kristen Gary Lopez
Whitnei Dubois
Laconia “Muggy” Brown
Crystal Zeno
Brittney Gary
Necole Guillory

 

[shadowraiths]

Take this case. For those who may be new to this forum could you all jump in and answer the following, please?

My (non) answers between and below:

*Does anyone know if there have been any new developments?

This case appears to be stalled, although Ethan Brown published an article on Medium, "Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8" and recently released a book, "Murder in the Bayou" on Amazon.

*Are there any solid suspects? If so who?

There were arguably four solid suspects, who were originally arrested for two of the eight murders:

Frankie Richard & Hannah Conor were arrested for the death of Kristen Lopez. They were eventually released due to conflicting statements. (link)

Byron Chad Jones & Lawrence Nixon were arrested and charged with Ernestine Patterns murder. They were eventually released and the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. (link)

*Why do you think this case has stalled?

A combination of distrust in the midst of rumors as well as interconnectedness between investigators, victims, etc. results in an extremely complex case. This is compounded due to allegations of multiple killers and alleged police malfeasance.

*What can Websleuths do to help this case get back in the spotlight?

Imo, if there were a means to untangle this particular Gordian Knot, it would involve developing a temporal relationship map, in conjunction with a geographical profile, so to speak.

A good place to begin is to comb through discussion threads from the blog "Murder in Jeff Davis Parish," with the expectation of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Let's put our heads and hearts together and see what we can come up with to help find the killer(s) of

Loretta Chaisson
Ernistene Patterson
Kristen Gary Lopez
Whitnei Dubois
Laconia “Muggy” Brown
Crystal Zeno
Brittney Gary
Necole Guillory

Absolutely!

 

[jdog17]

This thread seems to have stalled. Just watched recent (June 2019) docu on ID channel. There seems to be a lot of evidence to profile the killer. Some (semi-random) thoughts.

This is a bizarre story which doesn't seem as much a "mystery" as a cover-up or clear case of police incompetence. It seems crystal clear that (1) this is a serial killer (2) he lives, works, or regularly travels in the area. The evidence suggests he lives in town and travels to the outskirts to dump bodies.

In my opinion it is/was someone living in town; the geographic analysis done by Dr. Goodwin also supports this. It seems it would be very difficult to know such a rural area so well that dumping bodies could be accomplished if you were a visitor. The killer seemed to be removing the bodies from in town, rather than dropping them off on the way out of town.

This is a town of 10,000 people in which 8 murders of women with very similar backgrounds were found in similar dumping grounds between 2005 and 2009. How could it not be a serial killer responsible for most, if not all, deaths?

The police are oddly detached, and after the 7th victim refused to commit to the serial killer theory. ???

A few tidbits indicating something was wrong with the police:

-one police officer was fired during the case for mishandling of evidence
-one police officer was fined $10,000 for inappropriate witness relationship
-someone from the coroner's office notified the victim's family (#7) of her identification during a high school football game, literally threading his/her way through the spectators to go to the family. At least, that's misjudgment; at worst, it's highly inappropriate

The above examples are what I gleaned from watching one documentary, so it's pretty obvious there's more to the story with this police department.

The killer, if he lives in town, does what he can to distance himself from the bodies by dumping them on the outskirts of town. If from out of town, he traveled through town regularly and knew the roads. The presence of bodies dumped on roads indicates he is either someone who travels through town OR is literally "dumping" like you would trash. Several were dumped in canals, several on roadways, one on the side of I-10 itself.

The coroner makes an interesting comment in this documentary about the advanced decomp of the bodies, noting the extreme humidity of LA (which causes quick decomp) but that the killer may have stored the bodies in an even warmer (indoors?) location prior to dumping them. He implies it is someone who lives in town and knows the area well enough to "store" bodies somewhere.

The evidence indicates a patient person who targeted these women, almost all of whom knew each other and hung out at the trailer of Bill Conner (now deceased) and in the company of a man with long, violent hx called Frankie Richard.

The killer clearly knew the victims. The 7th victim disappeared in broad daylight from a Dollar Store. She was 17, and had recently returned from TX after cleaning up her act (prior involvement in drugs). Did he wait for her? She willingly got into someone's car. She disappeared in an area across the street from where another victim went missing (the Philipps 66 station).

Two victims made comments to others, just prior to their deaths, about how they believed they were in danger; one called the cops shortly before disappearing. And these were just the two who said something out loud. How would they KNOW they were in danger?

There is a great deal of contempt and rage in the way this killer dumped the bodies--not just for the victims but also for the police and public.

It is hard to imagine that this case cannot be solved; but when it comes to small town police incompetence, corruption and just plain disinterest nothing really surprises me. They seem to have virtually no evidence, especially when it comes to real witnesses. The forensic evidence often shows even cause of death as "undetermined." Did the killer know he could smother victims, let the bodies decompose, and thereby cover up evidence of his crimes?

 

[MsJosie]

I see I have lots of reading to do on cases....some before my time. Thanks Tricia and mods! (Cannot wait for new glasses!)

 

[Detective@]

This thread seems to have stalled. Just watched recent (June 2019) docu on ID channel. There seems to be a lot of evidence to profile the killer. Some (semi-random) thoughts.

This is a bizarre story which doesn't seem as much a "mystery" as a cover-up or clear case of police incompetence. It seems crystal clear that (1) this is a serial killer (2) he lives, works, or regularly travels in the area. The evidence suggests he lives in town and travels to the outskirts to dump bodies.

In my opinion it is/was someone living in town; the geographic analysis done by Dr. Goodwin also supports this. It seems it would be very difficult to know such a rural area so well that dumping bodies could be accomplished if you were a visitor. The killer seemed to be removing the bodies from in town, rather than dropping them off on the way out of town.

This is a town of 10,000 people in which 8 murders of women with very similar backgrounds were found in similar dumping grounds between 2005 and 2009. How could it not be a serial killer responsible for most, if not all, deaths?

The police are oddly detached, and after the 7th victim refused to commit to the serial killer theory. ???

A few tidbits indicating something was wrong with the police:

-one police officer was fired during the case for mishandling of evidence
-one police officer was fined $10,000 for inappropriate witness relationship
-someone from the coroner's office notified the victim's family (#7) of her identification during a high school football game, literally threading his/her way through the spectators to go to the family. At least, that's misjudgment; at worst, it's highly inappropriate

The above examples are what I gleaned from watching one documentary, so it's pretty obvious there's more to the story with this police department.

The killer, if he lives in town, does what he can to distance himself from the bodies by dumping them on the outskirts of town. If from out of town, he traveled through town regularly and knew the roads. The presence of bodies dumped on roads indicates he is either someone who travels through town OR is literally "dumping" like you would trash. Several were dumped in canals, several on roadways, one on the side of I-10 itself.

The coroner makes an interesting comment in this documentary about the advanced decomp of the bodies, noting the extreme humidity of LA (which causes quick decomp) but that the killer may have stored the bodies in an even warmer (indoors?) location prior to dumping them. He implies it is someone who lives in town and knows the area well enough to "store" bodies somewhere.

The evidence indicates a patient person who targeted these women, almost all of whom knew each other and hung out at the trailer of Bill Conner (now deceased) and in the company of a man with long, violent hx called Frankie Richard.

The killer clearly knew the victims. The 7th victim disappeared in broad daylight from a Dollar Store. She was 17, and had recently returned from TX after cleaning up her act (prior involvement in drugs). Did he wait for her? She willingly got into someone's car. She disappeared in an area across the street from where another victim went missing (the Philipps 66 station).

Two victims made comments to others, just prior to their deaths, about how they believed they were in danger; one called the cops shortly before disappearing. And these were just the two who said something out loud. How would they KNOW they were in danger?

There is a great deal of contempt and rage in the way this killer dumped the bodies--not just for the victims but also for the police and public.

It is hard to imagine that this case cannot be solved; but when it comes to small town police incompetence, corruption and just plain disinterest nothing really surprises me. They seem to have virtually no evidence, especially when it comes to real witnesses. The forensic evidence often shows even cause of death as "undetermined." Did the killer know he could smother victims, let the bodies decompose, and thereby cover up evidence of his crimes?

My opinion, its a cop. Or multiple officials. A ring of sickos in that town and Frankie Richard was just the little helper so to speak. And probably others as well. Can anybody say Internal Affairs! Bring someone in from outside to investigate not only the murders but the entire town including police and high ranking officials. Rant over!!

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Sounds like a job for the FBI if the officials really want this solved.

 

[SandyQLS]

LE there must have looked into Neal Falls the suspected Chillicothe Ohio 2014-2015 serial murderer? At least 3 of those women were found deceased in rivers or creeks (which is the reason I thought of him). These victim profiles are similar. Neal Falls was questioned in 20 different states, and is a suspect in similar murders in no fewer than 8 states including Texas. Although he lived in at least NV and OR at different times, he traveled around a lot for work and may well have had a job in a nearby city at that time 2005-2009.

Chillicothe victims

Neal Falls
Neal Falls - Wikipedia

I have read but have no link that the dismembered escorts found near Las Vegas had gone missing in 2009 - just about when the murders in Jennings were ended?

 

[Cloudstar]

Am watching the Showtime documentary Murder In The Bayou and personally I think there's definitely more than one killer there was more than one method of murder and listening to what family members have said it seems the killer/killers knew exactly what to do to get rid of forensic evidence one being bleach poured on one victims throat wound I also think there has definitely been a cover up and I also think the police were involved in some way

 

[Cloudstar]

Sounds like a job for the FBI if the officials really want this solved.

There was a task force formed with the FBI, State Troopers and the Attorney General's Office but the Jeff Davis sheriffs dept was put in charge

 

[CMonster]

Did anything ever come of the task force? I remember hearing about when it was formed w/ the FBI, but I don't recall any findings being reported. My husband is from Lake Arthur which is the tiny town (his graduating class was 60 people in 2003) next to Jennings (you had to go to Jennings to go to the Walmart for any kind of shopping). He and his sisters knew a few of the victims and recognized the circles these girls ran with. This case is so fascinating as there is SO much evidence, but it just doesn't land for any single theory, also that this town is SO SMALL! Everyone knows everyone, it's total small town mentality, but still nothing. I have actually spoken to Mennard (the PI) years ago, he was a really good guy. We discussed corruption amongst the police force down there. One of the officers in the department was caught in pictures at a KKK rally with his arm extended in a "seig heil". This was around 2013. I would be curious to hear his direct thoughts on everything as it stands, given that it has gone on for years. I wonder if the killer is still in the area or even still alive for that matter as this "break" has been very long.

 

[CC148]

There's a program on the ID channel (investigation discovery) on xfinity/comcast on demand, about the Jennings 8. Not sure when it aired originally or how up to date the info is. There's about 6-8 hour long episodes thought and they revisits locations, people, etc.

 

[CMGB79]

I feel that the Showtime series Murder in the Bayou did an excellent job. The Book by Ethan Brown was a real eye-opener to me. Also, I can't help but see similarities with the L.I.S.K. case. Corruption is key in both cases.

 

[Stephy032]

Hi Everyone,

You all have done incredible work in this case. I love it. People from all over the world come together on Websleuths and dive in to see if they can help get the justice the 8 victims deserve.

This is very frustrating I'm sure because things have slowed down. The last post on the "Latest Developments" thread was at the end of January.

I'm starting a new thread because I want to get people's attention.

Websleuths is looking at being not only a popular true crime discussion forum but possibly a TV show. Can't tell you much more other than if this happens so many cold cases and missing person cases will get the attention they all deserve. We need to wake America up to the epidemic of missing persons and murders, especially of women of color, that does not get nearly enough attention from the right people.

Take this case. For those who may be new to this forum could you all jump in and answer the following, please?

*Does anyone know if there have been any new developments?

*Are there any solid suspects? If so who?

*Why do you think this case has stalled?

*What can Websleuths do to help this case get back in the spotlight?

Let's put our heads and hearts together and see what we can come up with to help find the killer(s) of

Loretta Chaisson
Ernistene Patterson
Kristen Gary Lopez
Whitnei Dubois
Laconia “Muggy” Brown
Crystal Zeno
Brittney Gary
Necole Guillory
I read that they they collected DNA from some of the officers but the results were never released. I still believe that someone involved in local law enforcement of government is involved. I am unable to find information on any bit of evidence that was collected. No foot prints, tire tracks, fibers, nothing. And with the extensive corruption in the police force I am completely convinced they know something. I believe the FBI was asked to investigate the local police but haven't been able to find any updates on what became of it or whether they still are.

Hi Everyone,

You all have done incredible work in this case. I love it. People from all over the world come together on Websleuths and dive in to see if they can help get the justice the 8 victims deserve.

This is very frustrating I'm sure because things have slowed down. The last post on the "Latest Developments" thread was at the end of January.

I'm starting a new thread because I want to get people's attention.

Websleuths is looking at being not only a popular true crime discussion forum but possibly a TV show. Can't tell you much more other than if this happens so many cold cases and missing person cases will get the attention they all deserve. We need to wake America up to the epidemic of missing persons and murders, especially of women of color, that does not get nearly enough attention from the right people.

Take this case. For those who may be new to this forum could you all jump in and answer the following, please?

*Does anyone know if there have been any new developments?

*Are there any solid suspects? If so who?

*Why do you think this case has stalled?

*What can Websleuths do to help this case get back in the spotlight?

Let's put our heads and hearts together and see what we can come up with to help find the killer(s) of

Loretta Chaisson
Ernistene Patterson
Kristen Gary Lopez
Whitnei Dubois
Laconia “Muggy” Brown
Crystal Zeno
Brittney Gary
Necole Guillory

I read that they they collected DNA from some of the officers but the results were never released. I still believe that someone involved in local law enforcement or government is involved. I am unable to find information on any bit of evidence that was collected. No foot prints, tire tracks, fibers, nothing. And with the extensive corruption in the police force I am completely convinced they know something. I believe the FBI was asked to investigate the local police but haven't been able to find any updates on what became of it or whether they still are. I remain extremely interested in this case because of how deep the police corruption seems to run. Someone in power has gotten away with this. Why did no one try tracking cell phone locations? Why is there zero information on any actual investigating that the police did? One of the women who disappeared from the Family Dollar bought a phone card, is caught on camera looking out of the store into the parking lot and then immediately makes a phone call to ask for a ride home even though she was only a short walk away. She saw someone in that parking lot I believe. Someone she was afraid of. Why wasn't the trailer of the cop who brought women back to his sex room ever tested? I have so many questions and the complete lack of answers from the police worries me very much.