Arrest Made in 2009 Killing of Sierra Bouzigard
Moss Bluff, La. - According to a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office media release, a break has been made in the cold case murder of 19-year-old Sierra Bouzigard of Moss Bluff, thanks to new DNA technology. On November 23, 2009, Bouzigard's body was found on the side of John Koonce Rd. in Moss Bluff, and has gone unsolved since.
When investigators with CPSO originally submitted DNA into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) back in 2009, there was no match for a suspect. That's until September 1, 2015, when Sheriff Tony Mancuso announced that the DNA of an "unidentified suspect in the murder" was submitted to a company that had the ability to "create a picture and characteristic profile of the suspect from the DNA." That information has finally come back, and the case has been solved due to the advancements of this "new technology," making CPSO the first law enforcement agency in the State of Louisiana to use it.
According to Sheriff Mancuso,
“This new technology is very exciting for us. All along we have been focusing on a Hispanic male because that is the direction our evidence took us. Now we know it is a white male, with fair/very fair skin, green or blues eyes and brown/black hair so now our investigation will move in a different direction thanks to this profile. Not only does it give us characteristics of a suspect, it also helps us to eliminate certain factions of the population as suspects.”
Almost 8 years since the horrific crime took place, on Monday, July 24, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office arrested and charged 31-year-old Blake A. Russell, of Dequincy, with 2nd-degree murder. His bond is set at $2 million.
The media release also stated detectives followed multiple leads since 2009, but it wasn't until approximately "a month ago" they received a "promising lead." Surveillance was conducted by detectives where they monitored Russell over the course of several weeks, and DNA was obtained from a "discarded item."
Through the Southwest LA Regional Crime Lab, DNA was matched to evidence recovered from Bouzigard's body.