KIRK MENARD IN THE NEW YORK TIMES 

 The bodies of eight women have been found near Jennings, La., since May 2005, including Kristen Gary Lopez in this canal on March 18, 2007.

JENNINGS, La. — Every few months for the last four and a half years, someone driving the back roads here in Jefferson Davis Parish has come across a body.

 The eight women found dead were all from Jefferson Davis Parish, were aged 17 to 30 and had succumbed to drugs and prostitution: clockwise from top left, Loretta Lynn C. Lewis, Ernestine D. Patterson, Kristen G. Lopez, Whitnei C. Dubois, Laconia S. Brown, Crystal Benoit Zeno, Brittney Gary and Necole J. Guillory.

 

 The eight women found dead were all from Jefferson Davis Parish, were aged 17 to 30 and had succumbed to drugs and prostitution: clockwise from top left, Loretta Lynn C. Lewis, Ernestine D. Patterson, Kristen G. Lopez, Whitnei C. Dubois, Laconia S. Brown, Crystal Benoit Zeno, Brittney Gary and Necole J. Guillory

 

They fit the same pattern: The bodies have been those of young women raised by extended families in the nearby towns of Lake Arthur and Jennings. At some point, the women lost their footing and succumbed to the undercurrent of drugs and prostitution that has been steadily eating away at the parish.

Since May 2005, there have been eight such discoveries in this quiet countryside of rice and crawfish farms in southwestern Louisiana. The most recent was in August.

The women appear to have been murdered, but most of the bodies were found in such a state of decomposition that the causes of death have not been determined. The victims were black and white, aged 17 to 30. Most knew one another or were even related, members of a small circle in a small town.

The deaths have caused considerable soul-searching among victims’ relatives here worried about the plague of drugs and prostitution that might have contributed to the women’s deaths. There has also been anger at what many local residents view as missteps by sheriff’s investigators, like lost or missing evidence, and fury at the possibility that a serial killer might be loose.

“Whoever is doing this, I don’t know how they sleep at night,” said Sarah Benoit, the mother of Crystal Benoit Zeno, a cheerful, mischievous 24-year-old whose body was discovered by hunters in a dry canal in September 2008. “I just don’t understand.”

Long a stopping-off point for drug traffickers along Interstate 10, Jennings, the parish seat, has a thriving crack trade, which turns many young men to crime and women to prostitution.

The sight of young women walking among the derelict houses on the south side of town once brought dismay to parents. Now a woman alone evokes dread.

“My girls won’t go anywhere unless someone’s with them,” Ms. Benoit said.

At Tina’s, a one-room bar where some of the victims used to come, rumors and theories abound. Law enforcement officials are treating the deaths as if they were murders committed by a “common offender” — a serial killer — but emphasize that is not a sure thing. It is not clear if the deaths are related or — because of decomposition — if they are all even murders.

Four people have been arrested or have had arrest warrants issued in connection with the deaths. Two were even held on murder charges for months before being freed because of evidence problems; the other two were never charged.

Frankie Richard was one of those two. A onetime owner of local strip joints, Mr. Richard (pronounced REE-shar) has a history of assault arrests. He admits to being a crack addict and claims to have had sex with most of the victims. He was among those last seen with Kristen G. Lopez, whose body was found floating in a canal on March 18, 2007.

A woman who was with Mr. Richard and Ms. Lopez at a cheap hotel just before Ms. Lopez disappeared told the police that Mr. Richard and his niece had killed Ms. Lopez. Soon after, the woman recanted her statement.

“I have my suspicion about who done it,” Mr. Richard, 54, said, sitting on the front porch of his childhood home on a chilly Sunday afternoon, still reeling from what his mother said was a three-day binge. “But I don’t want to pin the tail on no donkey because I don’t want false allegations to cause a family to go through what mine did.”

Mr. Richard was in rehab when one of the victims died, Sheriff Ricky Edwards said.

The pace of the investigation, and the apparent mistakes along the way, have tested the town’s patience. In 2007, the chief of detectives in the parish sheriff’s office made a deal to buy a pickup truck from an inmate in the parish jail, a woman he knew to be an acquaintance of one of the victims. A witness later said she saw Ms. Lopez in that same truck on the day of her disappearance, but by then the detective had washed and resold the truck.

The detective was fined and taken off the investigation. He now supervises the evidence room at the sheriff’s office.

Over time, dissatisfaction has turned to outright suspicion that the local police are involved in or are covering up the deaths. In a small town like Jennings, where law enforcement officers, victims and criminals are often related by blood and friendship, the police’s failings inevitably take on an ominous cast.

 

Many relatives of the dead women hope Kirk Menard, a private investigator, can help find answers.

 

Some victims’ relatives who consider the police ineffective, or worse, have turned to Kirk Menard, a private investigator with a background in workers’ compensation and insurance fraud cases, but not in homicide. (Mr. Menard is perhaps uniquely qualified in one respect: his stepfather, who died last year, was the brother of Richard E. Hickock, one of the Clutter family killers profiled in Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.”)

For months, Mr. Menard has been secretly videotaping women who fit the profile of the victims, hoping to catch license plates when the women get into strangers’ cars. This past June, he made a short video of Necole J. Guillory, 26, walking along the street. Two months later, her body was found by weeding crews along Interstate 10.

Sheriff Edwards acknowledges that many residents distrust the investigation, but said the dissatisfaction arose mainly out of frustration. In December 2008, he set up a task force of law enforcement officials from nearby parishes, the state police and the F.B.I. Several victims’ relatives said they were reassured by the diligence of the task force, which works out of a nondescript storefront in a rundown strip mall.

But for now, investigators are still hoping for a break.

“This person will screw up, the right person will come forward and give us some information, and we will be able to bring justice for these ladies,” the sheriff said.

The relatives have learned to grieve in uncertainty. Many of the victims had already faced more hardship than anyone should — violent men, rape, mental problems, addiction — but there had always been the hope that, with love and support, they could make it through intact.

“It’s the school of hard knocks that they never got a chance to graduate from,” said Sonya Benoit Beard, sitting at her kitchen table over a pool of photographs of her bubbly cousin Whitnei C. Dubois, 26, whose body was found at a rural crossroads in May 2007.

Melissa Gary, the mother of Ms. Lopez, said she woke up every morning wondering what had happened to her child. When she shows up for work at the truck stop casino by the highway, she says she wonders if she is coming face to face with the killer.

Or the killer could be a complete stranger. She just does not know. Nobody knows.

“There’s eight murders in Jeff Davis parish, and not one’s been solved,” Ms. Gary said, breaking down in tears.

“Something is wrong in this parish,” she said. “Something is wrong in Jeff Davis Parish.”

KIRK MENARD'S TRANSCRIPT DURING HIS INTERVIEW ON CNN:

A big mystery is stalking a small town deep in Louisiana. At least eight women in the town of Jennings, that’s in Jefferson Davis Parish in Louisiana, they have been found dead in the past few years.

Well, the first victim’s body was discovered in May of 2005. The most recent was just last month. Police have stopped short of saying that they have a serial killer on they are hands, but they say there are many similarities to see — that seem to tie all of these cases together.

So with us now on the phone from Jennings, Louisiana, to explain what might tie these women’s death together is a private investigator. His name is Kirk Menard.

Kirk, he shot one of the victims a couple of months before she went missing and then her body was found. A videotape of her going into a home which seems to be the central point in many of these cases.

Kirk, are you there?

KIRK MENARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR (via telephone): Yes, I am.

LEMON: Yes. Tell us about the video in the home.

MENARD: Well, the video was shot because a witness came forward and explained to us that she had seen several of the victims go into that home. And I decided to conduct a stake-out around that area and that’s when I caught the last victim.

LEMON: So how — what is happening with the police department there? They are saying that they believe that all of these things may be tied together, they don’t have any forensic evidence that ties them together, but they have it out to the lab.

So what is going on? Why have families of the victims felt the need to hire a private investigator?

MENARD: Well, they have come to me because for the purpose of information gathering where I’m able to gather information where law enforcement or the task force may not be able to or apt to speak to the public more freely than what they can.

And they just felt that because of lack of manpower they needed someone on the outside to look into it for information gathering purposes.

LEMON: Ok. So if police are there — and I spoke with the sheriff last night and he said, again, that he — they believe that it’s possibly all of these may be linked, but until he has solid evidence, again, forensics evidence that will tie all of these women — and there are also some other people involved, 13 people, five other people on top of the eight — but until he has that, he can’t say for sure. So what’s happening there in the community? I mean, it would seem odd that these eight women whose bodies were dumped on the outskirts of town all disappeared under the same circumstances. What is going on in the community there that you believe people are feeling and what may be contributing to this?

MENARD: I believe that people are scared. I believe that they’re nervous right now with what’s going on. We’re a town of 11,000 maybe a little over and they have reason to fear.

We’ve been watching the streets. We’re not privy to what law enforcement has gathered, of course, forensics.

Our only function in this is gathering information that we turn over to law enforcement and the task force. But people in our town are scared right now.

LEMON: Why not a lot of coverage on this? I haven’t seen much locally. Even when I was there visiting home recently — I’m from Baton Rouge — I didn’t see a lot of coverage on the news, and I haven’t seen anything really nationally.

MENARD: No, sir. We’ve been working on that, it’s getting more and more coverage as it goes along. I believe that the sheriff and the law enforcement is doing everything they can with the resources that they have. And you know, my clients definitely — they’re opinions — they have their own perceived opinion and they’re opinion is certainly not mine.

I try my best to work as closely as I can with law enforcements and supply all the information I can to them on leads. I just can’t understand why we haven’t gotten any national coverage.

LEMON: Yes, the reason is — I asked one of the victims, Mr. Dubois last night about this and he had his own things — that’s the reason I pose that question to you. They believe that there’s something going on with law enforcement that is keeping this from becoming as big a story as they would like it to be.

Kirk Menard, thank you very much for joining us today.

Again, we reached out to the sheriff and he told us they’re waiting for evidence to come in so that they can link all of these together, if they are, indeed, linked to a possible serial killer. Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana; we have been following the story and we’ll continue to follow it.

Film to focus on killings in Jefferson Davis Parish

• By JASON BROWN
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Jul 23, 2009 - Page: 1BA

A documentary film crew from Switzerland will head to Jefferson Davis Parish in September to do a film on the unsolved deaths of seven women, all of whom were found dumped in rural parts of the parish during the last four years.

Paul Nixon, of Kodiak Productions, wrote in an e-mail that the film will explore the problems the parish is facing and the effects the deaths have had on residents there.

“We’re not coming to Jennings to solve these crimes — that would be a foolish rationale,” Nixon wrote in the e-mail.

“We’re coming there in the hope of raising the profile of these injustices, to get the wider world to understand that these terrible and tragic events have taken place,” he continued. “And also to tell the very human story of a town and a parish that needs some answers.”

They will arrive in early September, about the one-year anniversary of the discovery of Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno’s body. Zeno was the sixth woman found dumped in the parish during the past four years.

Two months later, a family search party discovered the body of 17-year-old Brittany Ann Gary, who had been missing for several days.Gary ’s decomposed body was found about 3 miles from where the first remains were discovered in May 2005.

In December, Sheriff Ricky Edwards established a tip line and a full-time, multi-agency investigative team to search for leads in the deaths.

Officials have said they feel like they are making progress in the case but no updates have been given in months.

Many have speculated that the women were targeted by a serial killer or killers.

Officials have not linked the deaths, other than to say that the women all knew each other or appeared to have mutual acquaintances.

Nixon wrote that he caught wind of the story on an online crime forum.

He wrote that he has no ties or links to the case or to anyone in the town or nation in general.

“But something stirred me about these homicides and the apparent struggles of the victims’ families to find much needed resolution,” he wrote.

Nixon has worked on one other feature-length documentary, “Me, Joe & B.T.K.,” which dealt with the hunt for the B.T.K. (Bind, Torture, Kill) Strangler, who killed 10 people in Kansas , according to a summary of the film on http://www.imdb.com.

The film, which he co-directed with Matthew Clyde, came out last year and currently is on the festival circuit, Nixon wrote.

Nixon wrote that the film focused on the actual hunt for a killer.

“This one we see as much more of a considered portrait of a town and its people and the effects that these crimes have had,” Nixon wrote.

Kirk R. Menard, a private investigator hired by some of the victims’ family members, wrote in an e-mail that they hope the film brings national and international attention to the issue.

“We also hope that this documentary will convince witnesses to come forward with information,” Menard wrote. “We know that somebody out there has information and perhaps this documentary will allow someone to come out with what they heard or observed.”

Officer Arrested: His Side of the Story: KPLC TV

Posted: Dec 20, 2007 6:50 PM CST Thursday, December 20, 2007 7:50 PM ESTUpdated: Dec 27, 2007 10:11 AM CST

Arrested Wednesday by Louisiana State Police, a veteran of the Jennings Police Department stands accused of obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office. Sgt. Jesse Ewing is accused of handing over privileged information involving an ongoing investigation to a civilian private investigator. Speaking on behalf of Ewing, the P.I. says in the end evidence will prove Ewing 's innocence.

The charges Jennings Police Sergeant Jesse Ewing faces centers around the ongoing investigation of unsolved murders of four Jeff Davis Parish women and what two inmates say they knew.

"According to them, they had some information that was never released to the public," said Kirk Menard.  

Speaking on behalf of Sgt. Ewing, private investigator Kirk Menard says the two female inmates requested to speak with Ewing on December 8th about the murders. "They requested to speak with him and only him," said Menard. 

According to Menard, Ewing interviewed the women separately over the course of two days. On tape recorded interviews, both women told the same story alleging a cover-up involving a high-elected parish official. Concerned over the serious implications, Ewing turned the information over to his friend.

"He didn't feel comfortable going to anyone locally not even his superior. So he gave it to me and I delivered it to the appropriate individuals," said Menard.  

As the messenger, Menard handed the recordings over to the FBI and Louisiana Attorney General's Office on Monday December 10th. But that's not the only accusations on the tapes. During the course of interviewing the second inmate, accusations surfaced that Ewing inappropriately touched the first inmate.

"He said that didn't happen, and she said she thought that was a lie as well," said Menard.  

Menard says Ewing did acknowledge to investigators that the female inmate pulled up her shirt in a suggestive manner. Acting as Ewing 's legal defense investigator, Menard has since interviewed two cell mates of the two women who also believe the accusations were made up.

"They both acknowledged that they overheard both of the first witnesses plot against officer Jesse Ewing in order to get out of jail," said Menard.  

While he remains under investigation, Menard believes evidence will eventually exonerate Sgt. Ewing.

"I believe that he blew the whistle. He believes that he blew the whistle because he didn't want any cover-ups. And we're not saying there's a cover-up, we're just saying that just in case he didn't want the appearance of impropriety," said Menard.  

Menard says all of the tape recordings of Sgt. Ewing's interviews with those two female inmates remain in the custody of the FBI and State Attorney General's Office. Meanwhile Ewing remains free on 10,000 dollars bond and is on administrative paid leave.

Staff Writer,
05-15-2008

Former Jennings Police Sgt. Jesse Ewing pled not guilty Monday to a charge of malfeasance in office, according to Jeff Davis District Attorney Michael Cassidy.

Ewing was arrested on Dec. 19, 2007, after Louisiana State Police said he taped an interview with a Jennings City Jail inmate and turned it over to

Sixth Jefferson Davis body ID’d; Jennings teen missing

• By JASON BROWN
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Nov 11, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 1:10 a.m.
• 
  

The remains of the sixth body discovered in Jefferson Davis Parish since 2005 have been identified as news surfaced that a 17-year-old girl who was related to one of the victims has been missing since Nov. 2, authorities said.

Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff Ricky Edwards said DNA confirmed that the sixth body was Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, 24.

Zeno’s decomposed body was discovered Sept. 11 in a ditch off Lacour Road, south of

Like the others, Zeno’s body was found in a rural area. The others were found in or near drainage canals and rural roads.

Zeno associated with the other five victims and, like them, lived a high-risk lifestyle involving drugs and in some cases the trading of sex for narcotics, Edwards said.

Authorities have established only three as homicides. The other three deaths remain undetermined.

The other victims were:

• Loretta Lynn Chaisson, 28, found May 20, 2005, in a canal.
• Ernestine Daniels, 29, found 17 days later in a canal 6 miles away.
• Kristen Gary Lopez, 21, found March 18, 2007, in a rural canal south of Welsh.
• Whitnei Dubois, 26, found May 12, 2007, along a rural road.
• Laconia Shantell Brown, 23, found May 29 on a rural road in Jennings.

All of the cases remain unsolved despite earlier arrests on charges that did not pan out.

Authorities are asking anyone with information on Zeno’s whereabouts after Wednesday, Aug. 27, to contact their local law enforcement agency.

Meanwhile, police said late last week that 17-year-old Brittney Gary, of Jennings , has been missing since Nov. 2.

Detective Joshua Crochet, with the Jennings Police Department, said Gary left her mother’s home on foot around 5 or 5:15 p.m. for a Family Dollar store on nearby Plaquemine Street.

Surveillance cameras at the store showed Gary

making a purchase and leaving around 5:30 p.m.

“That’s the last that anyone has seen or spoken to her,” Crochet said.

He said there is no evidence to show that the case is anything more than that of a missing person.However, Gary was a cousin to one of the victims, Kristen Gary Lopez, Edwards said. Gary also had similar friends and associates as the other six victims, Crochet said.

As a precaution, the Sheriff’s  Department is running Gary’s disappearance as a parallel investigation with the others, Edwards said.

He said there is no evidence to indicate that her disappearance is connected, “but we’re not ruling it out.”

Since her disappearance, the Sheriff’s Department has conducted searches across the area, including air reconnaissance.Gary’s family and volunteers also have conducted searches in areas where the other bodies were discovered.

Relatives close to the victims also have hired private investigators to assist in the case.

Kirk Menard, president of Menard’s Investigative Services in Jennings , said his company was contacted by some of the relatives two days before Gary’s disappearance. 

Menard did not disclose who those relatives were but said they felt that law enforcement did not have enough manpower to actively investigate the cases. They also felt that private investigators might have more luck with reluctant sources who sometimes shy away from assisting or talking with police, he said. 

“It’s been since 2005, and basically what they want is closure,” Menard said.

He said his team of five private investigators has leads on Gary’s disappearance and is in the process of sifting through all the rumors.

Menard said his office also has turned over to law enforcement leads developed in the case and a short list of persons of interest.

Menard said they re-examined some of the crime scenes and have turned over some evidence that demonstrated a pattern among the crimes to Louisiana State Police, who are assisting the Sheriff’s Department in the case.

Menard said he believes that the bodies are the work of a serial-type killer and that more than one person could be involved.

“I believe drugs played a very heavy role. I believe the lifestyles of these women played a role,” Menard said. “I believe that’s why the person or persons are preying on them because he believes that law enforcement will not look into it as much based on their lifestyles.”

Menard’s office has retained a profiler out of

Meanwhile, he said, investigators are working day and night to track down leads and conduct surveillance in strategic locations.

“We’re getting closer and closer, and I think his days are numbered,” Menard said.

The Sheriff’s Office also has assistance from the FBI Behavioral Unit and the Southwest Louisiana Forensics Laboratory, along with various other agencies throughout the area.

Update on Missing

Teen: KATC

The Friday before Brittany Gary disappeared, Mendard's Investigations was hired by people close to several of the women who's bodies were found in rural parts of the parish.

A private investigator believes Brittany Gary's disappearance is connected to the dead women.

"I will not rest until I find my daughter," said Teresa Gary.

A missing child is any parents worst nightmare and Teresa Gary is living it. Her 17 year old daughter Brittney Gary went missing almost two weeks ago. So far clues about her disappearance have turned up nothing.

"I will not let my daughter be number seven," said Gary .

Six woman have been found dead in rural Jeff Davis Parish and Brittney has a connection to every one of them.

"I know the the community wants closure. The authorities want closure and so do we. We're working day and night to find any clues we can," said Kirk Menard.

Private Investigator, Kirk Menard says, at this point in the investigation he and his associates have to assume the worst because of Brittney's relation with these woman and her high risk lifestyle.

I went out with Menard and his team Thursday evening as they searched for her in the rural areas where the other woman have been found dead.

"I do believe we are dealing with a serial killer," said Menard.

A reward fund has been set up at MidSouth Bank to help find clues in both cases. If you know anything you are asked to contact law enforcement officials.

Games People Play: KLFY TV

X-box Live is a way for gamers to connect across the globe but parents might not know what's being said on the other end of the headset.

You might be shocked to know what children are hearing and saying while playing X-box Live.

Kids across the nation and right here in Acadiana use this device to transport into a fantasy world but that world may not be one you approve of.

X-box live is the on line gaming and entertainment network connected to the insanely popular X-Box.

Players wear headsets and actually talk to other players across the country during sessions that can last for hours and the conversation can get ugly.

During a short gaming session we observed the use of vulgar and threatening language, racial slurs and discriminatory slang is also used constantly.

Gamers, who are represented by screen names even use their on line identities inappropriately. Anti-Semitic screen names are common place but profane language could be the least of your worries.

Connecting through gaming doesn't just stop at conversation. Just like any other internet source X-box live provides the ability for live chat and instant messaging, players also have the ability to send pictures.

The reality is in 2008 games are no longer child's play. The average age of video game players is over 33 years old.

Kirk Menard of Menard Investigative Services in

it's no longer just chat or I.M. Or MySpace, or Facebook. Now it's everything with the internet. It's another epidemic that we're facing that we have to fight. When playing X-box children are often playing against adults and sometimes those adults have their own agenda.

As a parent it's important to stay ahead of the game.  But the good news is parents have the power to protect their children.

Officials say it's important to keep computers in a public place like the living room where it can be monitored at all times.

Parents should also learn and take control of the game's settings.  You have the power to block inappropriate content

You can also manage or even eliminate live settings and your child's ability to talk to other players through the internet

Parents should set and enforce rules for internet access including time limitations what is and isn't appropriate information to share.

Fourthly stay aware of ratings don't let your child play a game that isn't suitable for their age.

Finally play with your child! Getting involved and becoming interested in your child's favorite games is the best way to stay informed.

Parents need to teach their children to be street savvy and internet savvy.  Shielding your children from on-line predators is about education and awareness.

When it comes to protecting your children it's not a game.

TO CATCH A KILLER...KIRK MENARD COMMENTS IN THE DAILY ADVERTISER REGARDING UNSOLVED HOMICIDES IN JEFF DAVIS PARISH

The murders of eight young women in rural Jefferson Davis Parish has baffled residents and overwhelmed law enforcement for nearly a half-decade. 

Although a suspect has not been identified, a whole group of people could soon be ruled out — members of law enforcement.

Members of the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office, the Jennings Police Department and other officials in agencies involved in the case have been or will be swabbed. Their DNA will be put up against DNA found at the murders.

Jefferson Davis Sheriff Ricky Edwards could not give a date on when the swabbing began but said his office is almost completed the task.

"That's to clear up some of the gossip and rumors that it may be a law enforcement officer involved, and then it's just a good practice to do for future crimes or future things where we can be able to eliminate immediately," he said.

Since 2005, Loretta Chasson Lewis, Ernestine Daniels Patterson, Kristen Gary Lopez, Whitnei Dubois, Laconia "Muggy" Brown, Crystal Benoit Zeno, Brittney Gary and Necole Jean Guillory went missing. Their bodies were later were found in fields and canals.

Little evidence was left on their bodies.

One victim, Brown, was found doused with bleach on a gravel road leading to a police shooting range.

The women were found without trauma to their bodies and were partially nude. Most had elevated levels of drugs and alcohol in their bodies. Officials have said the deaths are the work of a serial killer.

Residents often point fingers to law enforcement when it appears a sophisticated killer is at work, Edwards said.

"It is easy to point the finger at law enforcement," he said. "In every serial type case, in every type of prolonged investigation, those rumors come up in every case, so it puts the burden on law enforcement to show that it's not."

Scandal has riddled the Jefferson Davis Sheriff Office before.

In 2007, Chief Detective Warren Gary was pulled from the investigation after it was found he purchased a vehicle from a potential murder witness and a current inmate of the parish jail.

He was later fined $10,000 by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.

Another detective, Paula Guillory, lost more than $3,000 in evidence against one of the murder suspects who was later cleared. She was terminated.

"They've had their share of problems," private investigator Kirk Menard said.

Menard was hired by some of the victims' families to investigate the deaths.

He said he is pleased with the most recent development from Edwards.

"That's something positive," he said. "That's showing that no one is being singled out."

Menard added that he has also been swabbed. Edwards would neither confirm nor deny that.

"I will tell you that I've been swabbed, but I'm not going to go into anyone else," he said.

News of the swabbings have renewed trust in law enforcement for some residents, Edwards said.

"I cannot speak for what other people think," he said. "There are people who are very supportive."

Sarah Benoit, the mother of Crystal Benoit Zeno said she has always had faith in the sheriff's office.

"They're doing what they need to do," she said.

She said she is constantly updated on the case by a detective who is assigned to her daughter's death.

Other family members could not be reached for comment.

Edwards wouldn't disclose where the DNA was found or on which women's bodies because he said it is part of the ongoing investigation.

After 17-year-old Brittney Gary's body was found in November 2008 — the seventh murder — the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office assembled a multi-agency investigative task force that includes the Acadia, Calcasieu and Jeff Davis parishes sheriff's offices, Jennings Police Department, the 15th and 31st Judicial District Attorneys' offices, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Attorney General's Office and the FBI.

The victims likely knew one another and were all known to live or hang out on the crime-ridden south side of Jennings, population 12,000.

At last count, the investigators had followed nearly 1,000 leads and interviewed 500 people.

Today, there is an $85,000 award posted for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.

At this point, however, no suspect has been named.

TIMELINE OF JEFF DAVIS PARISH UNSOLVED SERIAL HOMICIDES

In May 17, 2005: Loretta Lynn Chaisson, 28, is last seen. Her body is found in the Grand Marais drainage canal three miles west of La. 26, just off La. 1126 three days later. No official cause of death is ever determined, but high levels of alcohol and drugs were found in her body.

In June 18, 2005: The body of Ernesteine Marie Daniel Patterson, 29, is found in a canal off La. 102, just six miles away from the location of Chaisson's body. Her death is later ruled as a homicide by a slit throat.

In March 8, 2007: Kristen Elizabeth Gary Lopez, 21, goes missing. Ten days later her body is found in the Petitjean Canal, 10 miles south of Welsh. No official cause of death is ever determined, but high levels of alcohol and drugs were found in her body.
n May 12, 2007: The body Whitnei Charlene Dubois, 26, is found just south of Jennings in the same vicinity as the other victims, but on a rural road instead of a canal. The cause of her death was never determined, but high levels of alcohol and drugs were found in her body.

In May 28, 2008: LaConia Shontel "Muggy" Brown, 23, is last seen by her grandmother, hours before her body was found in the middle of East Racca Road near a police shooting range on the edge of Jennings' city limits. Her death is ruled as a homicide, but how she was murdered has not been made public.

In Sept. 11, 2008: The body of Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, 24, is found, in a dry canal a couple miles southeast of Jennings but because of the advanced state of decomposition, it took nearly two months to identify her. Her death is ruled as a homicide, but how she was murdered has not been made public.
n Nov. 2, 2008: Brittney Gary, 17, disappears after walking to a nearby Family Dollar Store to purchase minutes for her cell phone. Gary is known to have done drugs and knows all the victims, including her cousin Lopez and best friend Brown.

In Nov. 15, 2008: A family search party finds Brittney Gary's body in the grass off Keystone Road, a half-mile south of La. 1126 and about four miles south of Roanoke.

In Aug. 19: Necole Jean Guillory, 26, is reported missing in the morning and that afternoon her body is found dumped off of Interstate 10 between Crowley and Jennings. She was later found to have been asphxiated.

Have information?

There is currently an $85,000 REWARD for information leading to an arrest and/or conviction regarding those responsible for these homicides.

Tips about the murders of the eight Jefferson Davis Parish women can be made by calling 337- 824-6662 or by going to www.jeffdaviscrimes.net.

DNA For Law Officers Underway in Jeff Davis Parish regarding  unsolved homicides

• By JASON BROWN
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Dec 29, 2009
  
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Almost all members of the Jennings Police Department and Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office have provided a DNA sample in an effort to allay concerns that a member of law enforcement may be involved in the deaths of eight women there.

Sheriff Ricky Edwards said they now are wrapping up the process, which began several months ago.

The decision to swab law enforcement members began as a way to exclude those who worked on crime scenes. The effort was expanded to quash rumors and innuendos hovering around the area that someone in law enforcement may have had some part in the killings.

The first of the eight killings was discovered in May 2005. A fisherman found the body of Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis, 28, floating in a canal in rural Jefferson Davis Parish.

Since then, seven other women, ranging in age from 17 to 29, have been found dumped in either canals or along roadways. The killings are believed to be the work of a serial killer.

The other victims are:

• Ernestine Daniels Patterson, 29, found June 6, 2005.
• Kristen Gary Lopez, 21, found March 18, 2007.
• Whitnei Charlene Dubois, 26, found May 12, 2007.
• Laconia Shontel “Muggy” Brown, 23, found May 12, 2008.
• Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, 23, found Sept. 11, 2008.
• Brittney Ann Gary, 17, found Nov. 15, 2008.
• Necole Jean Guillory, 27, found Aug. 19, 2009.

Jennings Police Chief Johnny Lassiter said he believes the decision was a good one.

“The sheriff and I discussed the issue and decided to take this step to try and stop the rumors so that we can focus on the investigation,” Lassiter said.

He said the samples have been collected and have been sent to the crime labs.

Edwards said he personally has been swabbed, but declined to comment specifically as to who else has submitted their DNA.

He said he will not announce when the process is complete. Edwards said it is now an employment policy of his department that new deputies will be required to submit DNA when they are hired.

He had no timeline for when the results from the DNA tests could be returned.

I can assure you it is not like on TV,” Edwards said. “It’s not going to come back in a few hours. It will be a lengthy process.”

Kirk Menard, a private investigator hired by a family member to investigate the deaths, said he also voluntarily submitted his DNA toward the beginning of November.

He approved of the decision to test law enforcement because he believed no one should be singled out.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction, and it’s going to help to restore confidence in local police,” Menard said.

Authorities are offering an $85,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for the deaths.

The Tip Line number is (337) 824-6662.