Mysterious no more

Skeletal remains found in an isolated area of Evangeline Parish have been identified two years after they were initially discovered.
Louisiana State Police announced on Friday, February 5, that the remains have been identified as Erica Nicole Hunt of Opelousas who had been missing since July 4, 2016.
The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations, with support from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, St Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Opelousas Police Department, are asking for the public’s help in providing information related to Hunt’s disappearance.
The series of events which led to the discovery of the remains began when Bryson Thibodeaux was reported missing on Friday, December 28, 2018.
According to a press release at the time from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff Office, the child’s mother Minette Thibodeaux reported her son “left his residence from the 3400 block of Chataignier Road without his father’s permission or knowledge.”
The press release continued, “He was last seen at 12:30 p.m. (on Friday). The reporting person stated her son has done this in the past but was always located shortly after.”
A search of the missing nine-year-old ensued involving officers from multiple law enforcement agencies as well as volunteers from the public. The child, two days later, was ultimately found safe under a bed inside a neighbor’s home. The parents of the child were later arrested on charges of cruelty to juveniles.
Over the course of the search, which stretched all across the Point Blue area, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Detectives received information that a local volunteer team search member had located human remains (skull) underneath an unenclosed shed located on the Prairie Rhonde Road.
Upon discovery, Louisiana State Police were notified as well as the Evangeline Parish Coroner’s Office. The scene was secured until the arrival of LSU FACES on the morning of Sunday, December 30, 2018.
Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office met with a member from FACES. FACES was then able to exhume any other remains. All remains located were taken to LSU Anthropology Lab for further analysis to identify the person.
Days after the discovery of the remains, Evangeline Parish District Attorney Trent Brignac told the Rotary Club of Ville Platte, “One of the volunteers was looking under a shed and picked up some type of basin, and under the basin was what looked like a rock. When they moved the rock, it rolled. Then, they saw the eye sockets and teeth and realized it wasn’t a rock or an animal skull. Because there was law enforcement in the area, they were able to verify it immediately.”
The district attorney then contacted the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services from LSU in Baton Rouge. He said Dr. Theresa Wilson was on the scene and “collected the remains of the body for analysis and collected it properly.”
As Brignac said at the time, “They’re expecting a biological profile by the end of this week which should indicate the gender, approximate age, and DNA of that particular individual. They’re actually able to take the shape of the skull and, through forensic technology, age the body and form a composite of what that individual would have looked like at about the time of their death.”
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact St. Landry Crime Stoppers at 948-8477(TIPS), online at stlandrycrimestoppers.com, or via Facebook by leaving a WEBTIP. Tips may also be submitted via text message by texting TIPS625 plus the tip to CRIMES (274637).
The Louisiana State Police online reporting system is also available to the public through a convenient and secure reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. Citizens can access the form by visiting www.lsp.org and clicking the Suspicious Activity link.