Twenty-seven bodies were discovered between 1991 and 1995. Most of the victims, police said, were African-American women involved in drugs and prostitution. Five of the victims were men, but some of them were reportedly transgender. The majority of the victims’ were strangled or drowned and their bodies were dumped in bayous or canals situated along highways bordering the western banks of Lake Pontchartrain. Because of the secluded locations, the victims tended to be in advanced states of decomposition by the time they were found, leaving evidence destroyed and some victims unidentified.
Victim Timeline:
July 1991: "Brenda": A young woman, identified by police as "Brenda," was abducted near Memorial Park Drive and Nevada Street in Algiers. The woman, who said she was strangled and left for dead, described the suspect as a clean cut, well-dressed black male with a muscular build. She said he was driving a blue Regal or Monte Carlo.
Aug. 4, 1991: The nude body of 17-year-old Danielle Britton, of Gretna, was found in a ditch along Nevada Street in Algiers. At autopsy, it was determined she had been beaten and strangled. Britton, a high school dropout, had no prior arrests for drugs or prostitution.
Sept. 3, 1991: Tiera Tassin, 21, was found dead in Harvey. Fingerprint records from a prior drug arrest were used to identify the mother of three.
Sept. 21, 1991: In Behrman Park in Algiers, just one mile from where Britton was discovered, the body of 28-year-old Charlene Price, of New Orleans, was found. She had beaten and strangled. It's unknown if she worked in prostitution, but a family member told police she had a history of drug abuse.
Nov. 21, 1991: The body of 37-year-old Regina Okoh, of Algiers, was found near St. Joseph Street in Harvey. Her death is attributed to strangulation and acute cocaine intoxication. New Orleans Police Department records showed the mother of three had several arrests for prostitution.
Dec. 14, 1991: An unknown female, approximately 20 years old, was found dead in Algiers near Behrman Highway. The location is not far from where Danielle Britton's body was discovered. At autopsy, it was revealed she was 5'2", 125 pounds, and had protruding front teeth. Her cause of death was listed as strangulation.
Jan. 4, 1992: Twenty-nine-year-old Lydia Madison, of New Orleans, was found dead beneath the South Claiborne Avenue overpass near Earhart Boulevard. The location is not far from police headquarters. Madison had a prior drug arrest and several prostitution arrests, police said. Her cause of death was ruled as strangulation.
June 2, 1992: George Williams, 25, of New Orleans was found floating in the LaBranche Wetlands. His cause of death is listed as asphyxiation by strangling or smothering. Williams was reportedly a transvestite, who worked as an exotic dancer in the French Quarter. Authorities said he had prior arrests for drugs and burglary.
July 25, 1992: Authorities found the body of 33-year-old Noah Philson floating naked in a canal off Interstate 55 north of LaPlace. An exotic dancer in the French Quarter, Philson reportedly went by the name Brenda Bewitch.
Sept. 21, 1992: Regetter Martin, 29, of New Orleans, was found dead near an interstate in Botte. According to police, the mother of three had prior arrests for prostitution.
Feb. 20, 1993: The body of 30-year-old Cheryl Lewis, of Bridge City, was found in a canal along Louisiana 3160, in Hahnville. Her cause of death is listed as strangulation. Lewis, a mother of four, allegedly dabbled in drugs and prostitution. She was last seen alive four weeks before her body was found. Witnesses told police they saw a man drag her into a car and drive off.
Feb. 21, 1993: Delores Mack, 42, was found dead in a canal along Louisiana 3160. The location is 782 feet north of where Cheryl Lewis' body was found the previous day. A transsexual from Metairie, Mack used to be known as Benjamin. Her cause of death is listed as strangulation. Mack had one prior arrest for a crime against nature, according to police.
Feb. 5, 1994: A partially clothed Jane Doe, between the ages of 25 and 35, was found dead in St. John the Baptist Parish. Autopsy reports show the woman had been raped and strangled.
Feb. 10, 1994: The partially burned body of a Jane Doe, between the ages of 15 and 17, was found near Airline Highway in Gramercy. Her cause of death is listed as asphyxiation.
Feb. 13, 1994: Twenty-five-year-old Stephanie Murray, of Bridge City, was found dead in a small pond in the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Feb. 15, 1994: A Jane Doe, between the ages of 25 and 35, was found dead. No further details are available.
April 2, 1994: A Jane and a John Doe were found dead. No further details are available.
July 3, 1994: The body of 32-year-old Michelle Foster, of New Orleans, was found.
Oct. 19, 1994: The decomposed body of 28-year-old Stephaney Brown, of New Orleans, was found in a wooded area off U.S. 90 near Bridge City. Brown had no arrest record.
Jan. 22, 1995: Wanda Ford, 29, of New Orleans, was found dead in a swamp along Interstate 55 in LaPlace. The mother of three allegedly abused drugs and had prior arrests for theft and possession of stolen property.
Jan. 23, 1995: Thirty-nine-year-old Sandra Warner, of New Orleans, was found dead in St. John the Baptist Parish.
Jan. 25, 1995: The body of 24-year-old Henry Calvin, of New Orleans, was found in Gretna. Calvin had prior arrests for crimes against nature, police said.
March 24, 1995: Police found the skeletal remains of a Jane Doe, between the ages of 25 and 35, beneath a highway overpass in Tangipahoa Parish.
April 30, 1995: The bodies of 30-year-old Karen Ivester and 28-year-old Sharon Robinson were found along Interstate 55 near LaPlace. Ivester's cause of death is listed as strangulation. Robinson, according to police, drowned. The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office classified both deaths as homicides.
May 6, 1995: The decomposed body of Sandra Williams, 39, of New Orleans, was found dead along Crowder Boulevard. Autopsy records show she was strangled. Williams, who frequented Treme, had a prior arrest for a crime against nature, police said.
April 8, 1996: Police found the skeletal remains of 39-year-old Lola Porter, who disappeared in 1992, along South Kenner Road in Waggaman.
March 22, 1998: Authorities announced they had lost the remains of both Jane Does, whose bodies were found in Tangipahoa Parish in February 1994.
Jefferson Parish Chief Deputy Newell Normand said authorities exhumed 110 bodies from a paupers’ field where New Orleans sends its unidentified dead and were unable to locate either woman. The news was devastating to the family of Patience Jupiter, a New Orleans woman who vanished on Jan. 28, 1994. According to her family, Jupiter bore a striking resemblance to one of the Jane Does. Authorities also said they suspected Jupiter was Jane Doe but will likely never know for certain. For reasons that are unclear, authorities failed to preserve dental evidence, which could have helped identify the lost victims.
