This column revisits chilly circumstances repeatedly with updates, hoping to breathe new life into unsolved crimes. Often, such reviews end in jogging somebody’s reminiscence or encouraging a witness to step ahead, and typically Bayou Justice evokes legislation enforcement to take a re-examination.
It was a ravishing feeling when it occurred within the Selonia Reed homicide case, and it’s occurring once more with the brutal slaying of Donna Arceneaux.
I’ve reported on Donna’s homicide a minimum of 4 occasions, inflicting Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal, who labeled Donna’s dying a suicide, to criticize my work publicly. Nevertheless, this week, a brand new sheriff occupies the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Workplace in Franklinton and has reopened the case.
Talking with reporters, Sheriff Jason Smith referenced an indication throughout the road from his workplace that reads, “There’s a assassin amongst us,” saying, “There’s been an unwillingness from the sheriff’s workplace even to handle it.”
In 2017, pals found a 40-year-old state-licensed cosmetologist and hairstylist useless in her house with a gunshot wound by means of her chest. Initially, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Workplace handled her dying as a suicide. Later, investigators realized the gun left on the scene was not the homicide weapon.
Donna Arceneaux owned and ran the Bella Donna Day Spa in Franklinton. Pals mentioned Donna cherished the outside, climbing, searching and fishing. She loved listening to nation music and spending time together with her kids.
She had two sons, Scott Jenkins and Brennon Dendy, and one daughter, Adriel “Ellie” Arceneaux. Ellie lived together with her mom, as did Ellie’s canine. Nevertheless, Ellie stayed together with her dad the weekend Donna died and had the canine together with her.
Based on a sheriff’s workplace information launch, deputies discovered Donna shot and lifeless in her mattress early Tuesday morning, Oct. 24, 2017. Shortly after midnight, the discharge mentioned, the sheriff’s workplace obtained a 911 name reporting a taking pictures at 21229 Louisiana Freeway 16, south of Franklinton.
On scene, deputies realized that two of Donna’s pals, a neighbor and her minister, found Donna’s physique and referred to as the police.
Exterior Donna’s house, getting no reply to telephone calls or knocking on the door, the chums entered the kitchen by means of an open again door. The minister instructed me later she seen a spoiled six-pack of pork chops thawed on the counter as if Donna had deliberate to cook dinner a meal inside just a few hours.
From down the corridor, she heard the neighbor shout and located him on the door of Donna’s bed room. Inside, they noticed Donna’s physique, partially nude, with a gunshot wound by means of her chest.
The minister phoned 911, and the Washington Parish detectives and deputies labored the scene all day. The Louisiana State Police Crime Lab joined them that afternoon, transferring the physique to the St. Tammany Parish coroner’s workplace for the post-mortem.
Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal instructed reporters, “Our detectives will proceed to analyze this taking pictures dying till we resolve the matter.”
Quickly after, a information launch from the sheriff’s workplace labeled Donna’s dying a suicide, and the sheriff instructed reporters, “It’s all the time tragic when any individual loses their life in such a way.”
One yr later, Covington Coroner Rogelio Angeles Casama licensed and quietly filed Donna’s dying certificates with the state registrar’s workplace in Baton Rouge. Though Dr. Casama cited murder as the way of dying, neither the sheriff’s workplace in Washington Parish nor the coroner’s workplace in St. Tammany Parish notified Donna’s household.
They issued no follow-up information launch. The general public didn’t study in regards to the lacking homicide weapon and the murder designation till Bayou Justice reported the discovering in 2020.
At the moment, the coroner’s workplace had not made public the outcomes of Donna Arceneaux’s post-mortem. Investigators had not confirmed what kind of projectile, slug or bullet, nor what caliber of bullet, killed Donna Arceneaux. Suspecting a coverup, a member of Donna’s household requested the Louisiana State Police to take over the investigation.
Pathologist Dr. Michael DeFatta’s post-mortem report described Donna’s physique as skinny, 63 inches tall, weighing 117 kilos, with black hair and the tattoo of a scorpion on her left thigh.
Discovering her partially nude, the physician ordered sexual assault nurses to guage the physique with rape kits. The report notes the nurses bagged take a look at outcomes as proof. Nevertheless, the physician didn’t element the take a look at ends in his report.
Based on the physician’s findings, Donna died from a “perforating gunshot to the left chest.” The shot created an entrance wound measuring 1.5 by 0.8 centimeters and entered her left breast 2.5 inches left of the midline, 9 inches from the highest of Donna’s left shoulder.
The projectile, touring by means of the pores and skin and gentle tissue of the left breast, severed the left anterior fifth rib and broken the left lobe of Donna’s liver and lung, alongside together with her spleen and coronary heart. Passing by means of her physique, the projectile exited her again in the identical location, on the left facet, 2.5 inches left of the midline, and 9 inches from the highest of her shoulder. Dr. DeFatta measured the exit wound as 1 centimeter in circumference, unusually smaller than the doorway wound due to the famous perforation.
Based on Donna’s cousin, the one firearm police discovered within the house was a shotgun. This weapon sometimes renders holes extra distinguished than 1 centimeter.
Based on the report, Donna had “two curvilinear abraded marks close to her left higher shoulder on the base of the neck.” The examiner famous blood drops on each legs simply above the knee, spatters from the gunshot wound.
He additionally discovered blood transfers, blood deposited on her physique after the gunshot, connected to her left thorax and left arm. Based on the report, Donna’s dying got here immediately, suggesting the blood transfers got here from somebody shifting Donna’s physique after her coronary heart stopped beating.
Two years in the past, I contacted the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Workplace for an replace on the case. Capt. Tom Anderson instructed me his group had no information on the case for the reason that state police took over the investigation. Neither Sheriff Randy Seal nor the state police responded to my electronic mail or voice messages.
I look ahead to talking with the brand new sheriff after his group has time to evaluation Donna’s case.
“Bayou Justice” is a weekly true crime column that includes notable south Louisiana crime-related tales, most nonetheless unsolved. In case you have info that will assist resolve the case, contact Crime Stoppers or your native police company. For extra reviews, go to bayou justice.com.
