The show was scheduled to air this weekend, but has been rescheduled for next Saturday, private investigator Kirk Menard told the American Press on Friday.

“We are really excited about this because we have been able to obtain the national exposure these cases deserve,” Menard said. “It’s my chance to be a voice for my clients which hired me and a chance to put the word out of what we are up against.”

Michael Dubois, brother of fourth victim Whitnei Dubois, who was found in May 2007, is scheduled to talk to Geraldo Rivera about his sister’s death and the unsolved slayings.

Menard said the women’s deaths received little national exposure until he and Dubois were interviewed on CNN in late September.

“The CNN anchor (Don Lemon) told us he was from Baton Rouge and he hadn’t heard much about these cases,” Menard said. “The word is finally getting around, and we’re getting the exposure these girls finally deserve.”

Menard said past serial killers like Derrick Todd Lee, the “BTK killer,” “the zodiac killer” and “the Green River killer” got a lot more national attention.

“For some reason we have these eight deaths and there’s been no national attention,” he said. “We are a small town in Louisiana and things are being kept isolated. There is not much talk, except in the local media.”

Menard said Geraldo may be the “boost” the investigation needs to spur interest.

“Geraldo is a big step for us,” he said. “He is an investigative reporter, and he tries to help any way he can. I think the national exposure we receive from him will bring the attention to others what is going on and maybe some answers. Bringing national attention to these cases can’t hurt; it can only help.”

Sheriff Ricky Edwards said he spoke with the show’s producer, C.J. Lenat, Thursday. Lenat asked Edwards for copies of all the news releases concerning the investigation, but did not request an interview.

Rivera is not expected to come to Jennings. The show will likely be a live in-studio satellite feed from a local television station, Menard said.

The mystery surrounding the women’s deaths also caught the eye of Kodiak Productions, a Swiss documentary film crew, this summer. Filmmakers Paul Nixon and Jon Bjorgvinsson spent a week in the parish in September interviewing victims’ relatives, residents and investigators; visiting crime scenes; and riding with police to learn more about the cases and the area for the film.

“We’re here almost out of sympathy because it seemed these were forgotten murders,” Nixon told the American Press during the visit. “I come from a town almost twice the size of Jennings, and if this happened the national media would be all over it, but they’re not here.”

Nixon said he hopes to bring the story to a wider audience and give it the push it needs to bring closure to the families. He hopes to have the documentary completed by the end of the year.

Several Internet and Facebook-based groups such as Jeff Davis Cease Fire and Jeff Davis Crimes Net have conducted weekly e-mail and telephone campaigns to national media outlets hoping to bring the unsolved deaths to their attention.

The show was scheduled to air this weekend, but has been rescheduled for next Saturday, private investigator Kirk Menard told the American Press on Friday.

"We are really excited about this because we have been able to obtain the national exposure these cases deserve," Menard said. "It's my chance to be a voice for my clients which hired me and a chance to put the word out of what we are up against."

Michael Dubois, brother of fourth victim Whitnei Dubois, who was found in May 2007, is scheduled to talk to Geraldo Rivera about his sister's death and the unsolved slayings.

Menard said the women's deaths received little national exposure until he and Dubois were interviewed on CNN in late September.

"The CNN anchor (Don Lemon) told us he was from Baton Rouge and he hadn't heard much about these cases," Menard said. "The word is finally getting around, and we're getting the exposure these girls finally deserve."

Menard said past serial killers like Derrick Todd Lee, the "BTK killer," "the zodiac killer" and "the Green River killer" got a lot more national attention.

"For some reason we have these eight deaths and there's been no national attention," he said. "We are a small town in Louisiana and things are being kept isolated. There is not much talk, except in the local media."

Menard said Geraldo may be the "boost" the investigation needs to spur interest.

"Geraldo is a big step for us," he said. "He is an investigative reporter, and he tries to help any way he can. I think the national exposure we receive from him will bring the attention to others what is going on and maybe some answers. Bringing national attention to these cases can't hurt; it can only help."

Sheriff Ricky Edwards said he spoke with the show's producer, C.J. Lenat, Thursday. Lenat asked Edwards for copies of all the news releases concerning the investigation, but did not request an interview.

Rivera is not expected to come to Jennings. The show will likely be a live in-studio satellite feed from a local television station, Menard said.

The mystery surrounding the women's deaths also caught the eye of Kodiak Productions, a Swiss documentary film crew, this summer. Filmmakers Paul Nixon and Jon Bjorgvinsson spent a week in the parish in September interviewing victims' relatives, residents and investigators; visiting crime scenes; and riding with police to learn more about the cases and the area for the film.

"We're here almost out of sympathy because it seemed these were forgotten murders," Nixon told the American Press during the visit. "I come from a town almost twice the size of Jennings, and if this happened the national media would be all over it, but they're not here."

Nixon said he hopes to bring the story to a wider audience and give it the push it needs to bring closure to the families. He hopes to have the documentary completed by the end of the year.

Several Internet and Facebook-based groups such as Jeff Davis Cease Fire and Jeff Davis Crimes Net have conducted weekly e-mail and telephone campaigns to national media outlets hoping to bring the unsolved deaths to their attention.

LEMON: 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.

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.”

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.

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 Jennings private investigator Kirk Menard.

The interview related to the unsolved murder investigations of four Jeff Davis Parish women since 2005. Menard later told the Jennings Daily News the tape contained information on a possible cover-up regarding a “high-ranking official” in the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office (JDSO).

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 Jennings. Her death has been ruled a homicide, Edwards said.

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 Chicago to assist with the case. He would not release any additional details.

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.

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 online 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 online identities inappropriately. Anti-Semitic screen names are commonplace 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 Jennings says you have to educate yourself on the types of games your children are playing. 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 and what is and isn't appropriate information to share.
• Stay aware of ratings — don't let your child play a game that isn't suitable for their age.
• 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 online predators is about education and awareness.

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

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, the following women went missing, and their bodies were later found in fields and canals:

• Loretta Chasson Lewis
• Ernestine Daniels Patterson
• Kristen Gary Lopez
• Whitnei Dubois
• Laconia "Muggy" Brown
• Crystal Benoit Zeno
• Brittney Gary
• Necole Jean Guillory

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:

• Acadia, Calcasieu and Jeff Davis parishes sheriff's offices
• Jennings Police Department
• 15th and 31st Judicial District Attorneys' offices
• Louisiana State Police
• Louisiana Attorney General's Office
• 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.

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.

Kirk declined an interview with our staff so we've decided to seek out associates, former employees, corporate clients, friends and anyone else that would speak to us about Kirk Menard, the successful private investigator from Jennings, Louisiana. It should be noted that Kirk was featured in the Independent Weekly Magazine and law enforcement was quoted as saying that "Kirk has a fetish for media attention" and we found that to be untrue since we were able to discover that Kirk has refused several interviews. It's possible that local law enforcement accepted that stance on Kirk because he is working on recent unsolved homicides and it is our understanding that local law enforcement, for some reason or another, does not believe that Kirk should be involved in the case. Whatever the issue, it can be ascertained that Kirk does not have a media fetish and is not a person seeking glory as described by local law enforcement in Jennings, Louisiana. On the contrary, Kirk is a very private person with an arsenal of investigators behind him. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they do not have permission to speak to us, those closest to Kirk tell us the secret of his success and why he is the most sought after private investigator in the United States.

One client that we've discovered through an interview with a former employee invites us over to his office. When we begin asking him about Kirk, he grins nonchalantly and asks if we are in trouble. A lawyer in his mid-sixties, he explains that he has witnessed investigators come and go but believes that Kirk is the best investigator that he has ever met in his 35 years in practice. He explains that Kirk knows more about state and federal law than most attorneys in the country and that has a lot to do with the success of Kirk Menard. He explains that when all else fails and you lack evidence, call Kirk because evidence is the least of his worries. The attorney states that there are times that he or other attorneys in his building will contact Kirk for advice on a certain case because it is well known that Kirk researches case law extensively.

On the other side of the spectrum, a former employee that now owns his own agency explains that Kirk could "rule the world" if he used his knowledge to the fullest extent that is possible. "Kirk helped me start my own agency and from time to time, I still call Kirk for advice if I have a problem," says the investigator. The investigator explains that law enforcement is usually against Kirk because he is not afraid to fight for what is right no matter what government agency is involved.

A client, whom we shall call "Ray," tells us that he hired Kirk and his agency a few years ago on a child custody dispute. "It got real dirty," says Ray, but Kirk was there and helped him through it all one step at a time. In the end they won and Ray says he doesn’t know what he would have done if it were not for Kirk taking his case. Kirk has never been known to lose a child custody case and when a friend referred Ray to Kirk that is what he was told. If asked if he would use Kirk again, Ray does not mince words when he says yes. "I hope I never need him again but if I do you can be assured that I would call him before I call my own lawyer. To this day, Kirk and I have a very close friendship and keep in touch."

Another former employee tells us that she resigned from the agency after suffering health problems and the death of a husband. However, she says that Kirk is the most intelligent person she has ever met and that she learned an awful lot during her tenure with Kirk and his agency. Asked why so many people place their faith in Kirk, she states, "If you would ever use him on a case you would know why." She says he is intelligent, forms a strategy for each and every case, and knows the law so well that pieces of the puzzle seem to automatically fall into place. Asked about Kirk being described as "witty," she says, "Oh yes, he has a great sense of humor but don't let that fool you, he is all business when it comes to his clients and their needs." Asked if she ever received a scolding from Kirk, she lowers her head and says yes, she has. One time she wrote a report that stated the subject went to Burger King but did not obtain any video. "Kirk fussed at me good and I never made that mistake again," she confesses. However, she says that after the scolding it was like nothing ever happened and he was back to his old self again.

A colleague of Kirk that owns his own private investigative agency out of state hesitantly agrees to speak to us. He says that he is very hesitant because if Kirk refused to speak to us then he was not sure he should. After some convincing, he agrees to speak as long as we guarantee him anonymity. He says, "Kirk and I are friends and communicate almost daily." Asked about his opinion of Kirk's success, he says it is Kirk’s knowledge of the law and quick thinking for almost any case imaginable. He is aware that Kirk is working on the unsolved homicides in Jefferson Davis Parish of eight women since 2005. He says that Kirk is probably not popular among some law enforcement in that parish. He continues that Kirk is not supposed to be popular; he’s supposed to be a private investigator and his loyalty is to his clients, and that is always Kirk’s philosophy. Police officers, he says, take offense easily and try to discredit private investigators because it’s like a turf rule that they do not investigate when police are involved. Asked if he would have taken the case if he were in Kirk’s shoes, he says he most certainly would have. He says it is quite common for the public to hire private investigators when law enforcement is involved. In closing he tells us that Kirk is a force to be dealt with in the private investigative industry and he believes that Kirk will eventually solve the mystery of the deaths of eight women in the parish.

A former police officer tells us that Kirk is one of the most dangerous private investigators that he knows. He says with a chuckle, "I'm glad he's on my side," and adds that Kirk has resources available that would make homeland security jealous. "Kirk is good and has the power of skill, information and knowledge and if he tells you he will win your case, you can bank on it," says the former police officer who has known Kirk for more than 30 years. The officer tells us that Kirk is not afraid to take on the system and win and has more than proven himself.

One last call to Kirk to request a comment was unsuccessful. He did comment briefly, however, by saying, "I am loyal to my clients and will remain loyal to them."