Is a Serial Killer Stalking Jeff Davis Parish?

News segment about surveillance video of one of Jeff Davis Parish's recent victims of an unsolved homicide.

Eight women, murdered. They were different ethnicities and they ranged in age from late teens to mid-30s. Folks in Jeff Davis Parish, Louisiana fear the women fell victim to a single killer. A serial killer with a taste for troubled women.

The first victim was 28-year-old Loretta Lewis. She was found on May 20, 2005. According to this blog made in Loretta's name, she may have been "involved in a 'high risk' lifestyle and traded sex for drugs." Loretta was found floating in the Grand Marais Canal just south of Jennings, the parish seat. Decomposition made it impossible to determine the cause of death. Loretta Lewis had drugs in her bloodstream when she died.

Ernestine Daniels Patterson, age 30, was found less than a month later, in a canal.

Twenty-one-year old Kristin Gary Lopez was found dead in a canal nearly 2 years after Lewis and Patterson. She was found on March 18, 2007.

Whitnei Charlene Dubois, age 26, was found on May 12 that year. She was the first victim found some place other than a local canal; Whitnei was discovered on a remote road just south of Jennings.

On May 29, 2008, 23-year-old Laconia Shontell Brown was found dead. Then on September 11 last year, Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, age 24, was found in a dry canal. Crystal's remains were in a severe state of decomposition; it took a couple of months to identify her.

Brittney Gary, just 17, was found dead on November 15, 2008. Brittney was found by a roadside. While her death was declared a homicide, police didn't say exactly how she was murdered.

Necole Jean Guillory, the woman seen in the video at the beginning of this post, was 26 when she was last seen on August 16 this year. Necole was found on August 19. An autopsy revealed that she died from asphyxiation.

There are some odd coincidences tying some of the victims together - most notably, the relationships and connections between Kristin Lopez, Laconia Brown, Ernestine Patterson and Brittney Gary. Kristin and Brittney were cousins. Laconia was best friends with Brittney Gary; Ernestine Patterson worked at a fast food restaurant for Teresa Gary, Brittney's mom.

Then there is the broader connection between all the women - they all may have lived high-risk lives involving drugs and perhaps prostitution.

The last may be the most solid reason for suspecting a single serial killer killed each victim - it's almost an old saw now, how many serial killers make it a point to target those whom the killer believes will not be missed.

One thing is clear from a cursory look around the Web for information about these deaths - if there was a single predator targeting all these women because he thought they wouldn't be missed, he was wrong.

On the website devoted to solving these deaths, Jeff Davis authorities may have tipped readers off to their own take on what's going on in their parish. They published a list of possible "behaviors and characteristics" a violent offender "may exhibit." In essence, they posted a kind of profile, one that seems typical of violent, serial criminals, in particular:

* In reaction to heightened public awareness and intensive law enforcement investigation, the offender has changed his method of operation. For instance, the most recent victim's body was discarded off to the side of Interstate l0 in Acadia Parish. Previous victims' bodies were discarded off to the side of smaller, rural roads.

* The offender is likely to pay very close attention to the police investigation, media coverage and even private discussions pertaining to this series of murders.

* The offender is likely to have displayed increased nervousness in the time periods immediately following the murders and the body discoveries.

* The offender may have increased his use of drugs and/or alcohol to contend with the nervousness and experienced stress resulting from increased awareness and vigilance of both the police and the public.

* In the time period immediately following the murders and the body discoveries, the offender may have altered his daily routine. He may have left the area temporarily; he may have been absent from work, cancelled appointments and/or social engagements.

* The offender may have changed his mode of transportation, e.g., changed his vehicle, sold or claimed to have sold his vehicle, cleaned or had his vehicle cleaned, possibly including the vehicle's interior.

* The offender is someone with significant ties to the Jefferson Davis Parish area. He has demonstrated a strong familiarity with the area, and is someone known to residents there.

* The offender may have been seen in the area of Jennings known to be frequented by the missing ladies. He may have been, and perhaps still visits this area of Jennings.

There are a number of good resources on the Web with information and discussion of what we know about these murders:

- Digitopus - excellent, detailed discussion of each case prior to the death of Necole Guillory.

- AMW.com - America's Most Wanted.

- Websleuths Forum on the Jennings Murders - if you want a really in-depth venue for discussing these murders, Websleuths may be the best choice. Sometimes websleuthers can get lost picking apart the few details known about a given crime, but they more than make up for that with the comprehensive nature of the conversation.