Police in Louisiana have arrested a man in the murder of Donna Arceneaux, a 40-year-old mother of three found shot dead in her home in 2017.
Troy Scott Jordan has been charged with second degree murder, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a lengthy statement praising law enforcement on the eight-year-old case, especially the work of Louisiana State Police “to rescue this case from dormancy.”
Arceneaux was found shot in the chest on October 23, 2017, when friends and family were unable to reach her. An autopsy ruled her death a homicide, but the sheriff’s office told local media four months later that her death was a suicide, WWL reported.
Louisiana State Police eventually took over the investigation, but after media and podcasters dug the case out of oblivion, the sheriff’s office again took interest.
“The case was given away for political reasons, and it really should never have been given to the state police,” Sheriff Jason Smith said last year. “So, we are just trying to return it back to where it should have always been.”
Smith won election as the parish sheriff in 2023, ousting longtime incumbent Randy Seal, who held the post for 12 years, by a solid 2-1 margin, WDSU reported.
Smith didn’t provide any details about what led to Jordan’s arrest but said a news conference is scheduled.
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[Featured image: Troy Scott Jordan/Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and Donna Arceneaux/FreezeFrame podcast]
