Remains identified as missing woman’s (11/9)

Posted November 9, 2008 at 1:06 am
Filed Under News | 1 Comment

JENNINGS — The human remains found on a levee just south of here in September have been identified as those of a Jennings woman missing since Aug. 27.

DNA testing has confirmed the remains are those of Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, 23.

Preliminary autopsy results show the death is a homicide, according to Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff Ricky Edwards. The full autopsy and toxicology test results are pending.

The remains were found by hunters off LaCour Road just south of La. 1126 on Sept. 11.

The remains of Zeno were among those of six women to be recovered in rural Jeff Davis Parish since 2005. Most were found near drainage canals in rural areas or on gravel roads.

“Law enforcement officials have been tracing Crystal’s whereabouts and associates and will continue to compare that information with the other five bodies found,” Edwards said.

Anyone knowing of Zeno’s whereabouts after Aug. 27 are asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.

Based on evidence recovered at the various scenes, investigators feel the women died elsewhere, Edwards said.

All of the cases are unsolved.

Three of the deaths, including Zeno’s, are considered homicides.

Autopsy results on the remains of the other three revealed no signs of trauma. They reportedly had high levels of drugs in their systems at the times of their deaths.

All of the deceased are between the ages of 21-30, were of a similar build and were believed to be involved in “high-risk” lifestyles. They all may have known the same people, police said.

Five of the victims, including Zeno, were young mothers. Zeno and Lewis were married; the others either single or divorced.

In May 2005, the body of Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis, 29, of Jennings was found by a fisherman in the east fork of the Grand Marais drainage canal off La. 1126, about three miles west of La. 26 south of Jennings. Toxicology tests found drugs and a high concentration of alcohol in her body.

A month later, the body of Ernestine Marie Daniel Patterson, 30, of Jennings was found floating in a drainage canal off La. 102 just south of Jennings. Her throat had been slit.

The body of Kristen Elizabeth Gary Lopez, 21, of Jennings was found in March 2007 by a fisherman in the Petitjean Canal near Cherokee Road just off La. 99, about 10 miles south of Welsh. Toxicology tests found high levels of drugs and alcohol in her system.

In May 2007, the nude body of Whitnei Charlene Dubois, 26, of Jennings was found near the intersection of Bobby and Earl Duhon roads, just south of Jennings. The cause of her death has not been made public.

The body of Laconia Shontel “Muggy” Brown, 23, of Jennings was found on East Racca Road in May by a city police officer. She had been seen alive two days earlier.

Arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Patterson and Lopez, but the charges were dropped by authorities who cited insufficient evidence and conflicting statements from witnesses.

Teams of investigators from state, federal and local agencies, including the FBI Behavioral Unit and the Southwest Louisiana Forensic Team, continue to meet regularly to review the case files and search for new angles and leads in hopes of solving the crimes.

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Comments

One Response to “Remains identified as missing woman’s (11/9)”

crystal on November 9th, 2008 10:42 pm

sounds like there’s a serial killer in jennings

What's on your mind?

Use this form to comment on the article above. This box is not intended to be a forum for readers to ask questions of the newspaper staff, but to express their thoughts about the article. To contact the News department, e-mail news@americanpress.com.