November 19, 2024 • 43 mins
A suspect's story keeps changing, and the truth remains elusive. Tucker makes another attempt to speak with Scott, driven by details from sources and a need to understand the discrepancies that have surfaced. As the podcast inches closer to the truth, each conversation adds another layer of complexity to an already tangled case.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Narrator (00:01):
The claims, views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and
do not represent those of but why Media or its
Partners. All subjects are innocent until proven
guilty. This is a podcast about
difficult topics and it may not be suitable for all
audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (00:26):
Get off the property. Get the fuck out of my face.
>> Tucker Simmons (00:28):
The State Police are investigating.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (00:30):
I don't give a fuck about state police or
you.
>> Demmie Rice (00:35):
The only picture I saw of
Scott was he was taken at the
Sheriff's office of his hands and
forearms with his sleeves rolled up.
I want to see this through Tucker and you know it. I
need that for myself.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (00:52):
I wanted to have a say in all of this. Been
able to get my side out because
they weren't there. They didn't experience
it. But I was there. Two weeks out of the
month.
>> 'Something Strange' by Tabitha Meeks (01:12):
I'm feeling heavy, there's a pounding in
my chest, the shadows
hiding but I see the
silhouettes,
Fear lives in the quiet,
Whispers in the silence.
>> Tucker Simmons (01:33):
I'm Tucker Simmons and this is Freeze
Frame, an investigation into the unsolved
murder of Donna Arceneaux.
>> News Anchor (01:57):
Also in Washington Parish, Randy Seal
was hoping to keep the title he's held since
2012. But his challenger
Jason Smith, believed his military background
gave him the upper edge for Sheriff, and he was
correct. Longtime Sheriff Seal is
unseated with a 60 to 40%
final vote.
>> Tucker Simmons (02:17):
On November 18, 2023, Sheriff Randy
Seal was unseated by retired Marine commander and
local rancher Jason Smith. His win
with 60% of the vote shocked many in the community,
especially after the majority of local political groups and
statewide organizations endorsed Seal. The
decisive win brought hope for many families, among them
(02:38):
Donna Arceneaux. But Donna's isn't the only high profile
case casting a shadow on the Washington Parish Sheriff's
office.
In 2012, 14 year old Brett Wittner was shot
in the back of the head with a .22 caliber rifle.
The forensic pathologist who conducted Brett's autopsy
concluded it was an accidental self inflicted gunshot
wound. Brett's mom, Donna Wittner spent
(03:01):
12 years investigating for herself in a constant loop
between the Sheriff's office, the coroner's office and the
DA's office. In early 2024,
David Hammer, chief investigative reporter for
WWL TV New Orleans, took an interest in
Brett's case. His extensive reporting led to
immediate action by Sheriff Smith during his first week in
office.
>> David Hammer (03:23):
I actually started by investigating the new
St Tammany Parish Coroner, Christopher Tape,
for old sexual assault
allegations that he faced in New Mexico.
He was elected without opposition.
And after that I learned about
the charges that he faced. And I then
(03:43):
heard from Donna Wittner the mother of
Brett Wittner Brett had been killed in
2012 when he was 14 years old. He was
at a sleepover with other kids
ranging in age from 11 to 15.
And she found out that her son had
been shot in the head. And ever since
(04:05):
then she's been concerned about the case. And it turns
out that the autopsy in that case
on behalf of Washington Parish was handled
by Dr. Christopher Tape, who
was a private forensic pathologist in the Lafayette
area at the time. It seemed like a case
that needed to be investigated because, while
(04:25):
there was coverage at the time in 2012 about
how unlikely it was that a
14 year old boy would shoot himself in the
back of the head with a long rifle,
it kind of died. Didn't get the attention
anymore in the media. And then Donna Wittner
would protest over the years out
(04:45):
in front of the coroner's office in Washington Parish and in front
of the Sheriff's office and just wasn't
getting anywhere. And she had
collected the evidence from Washington Parish of the
investigation. And there were just so many holes in the
investigation. They had found
two shell casings at the scene. There were
conflicting statements from the
(05:07):
witnesses, and it was
unclear how he could have physically shot
himself at that angle. But that was the
determination that it was an accidental self inflicted
gunshot wound with a long rifle
behind the right ear. I
was able to get all of the documentation from Donna
Wittner and I found
(05:30):
experts in gunshot wounds
and in ballistics in
Europe and they reviewed the
evidence and they felt that there was a strong
indication that there could have been a second
gunshot. Nobody had really reviewed
those pieces of evidence
until Donna Wittner shared all of that
(05:51):
stuff with me and I was able to pass it on to these
experts. So all of this
uncertainty led, the
new Sheriff, Jason Smith, to
reopen the case and
to support a
exhumation of Brett Whitner's remains.
Longtime Washington Parish coroner Roger Kasama
(06:13):
did make the call to do the exhumation.
but I think that the Sheriff's interest in
reopening the case and his
pressure probably led to that
decision.
>> Tucker Simmons (06:25):
Following the exhumation, Washington Parish's Chief
Deputy coroner drove Brett's remains to Texas
for a secondary autopsy. As of October
2024, Brett's remains are at
LSU's Faces Lab for anthropological
review. Brett's case is relevant in this
investigation for several reasons. Most
interestingly, Tom Anderson was a Washington Parish
(06:47):
Sheriff's Office lieutenant at the time of Brett's death.
He was the first dispatched to the scene. A couple
of years after Brett's death, Tom joined
investigations and eventually became lead
Investigator. When I met with Tom about Donna's
case, he brought up several other cases where his name comes up in
criticism. Brett's being one of them.
Just like in episode 6, the following narration is a
(07:09):
summarization of Tom's thoughts on the case during our meeting
on his front porch. These are not direct
quotes.
>> Narrator (07:16):
Brett went to a sleepover with some kids he didn't know very
well. The parents in the house went to bed early and
Brett grabbed a rifle off the wall. He pointed it around
and the other kids told him to put it down and leave it alone.
The next morning, Brett and two others were up early in the
kitchen and he grabbed the rifle again. The other kids
told him to put it down again and he joked that it wasn't even
loaded. He threw it over his shoulder, turned his head
(07:39):
and accidentally pulled the trigger. At first I was
saying there's no way you can shoot yourself in the back of the head with a
rifle. But on the scene there was a Daisy BB gun
as well. I compared the little BB gun to the .22
caliber rifle Brett was playing with and they are almost
identical in size. It was a short barrel
22. That convinced me that it was actually
(07:59):
possible for him to shoot himself back there.
Brett's mom didn't want to believe us. She protested in front
of the Sheriff's office and all. But it went to a grand jury
and they agreed it was an accidental death, no foul
play.
>> Tucker Simmons (08:16):
Tom's recollection of the scene doesn't match that of the
pathologist or WWL's experts. Most
glaringly is the story about a Daisy BB gun on
scene, which to my understanding is nowhere in
WPSO's reports. Tom remembers the
BB gun and the .22 caliber rifle being the same
size, suggesting the .22 was a short barrel.
This convinced him it was a self inflicted gunshot wound to the
(08:39):
back of the head. But all reports included in David
Hammer's reporting clearly State long
barrel rifle. The Wittner and Arceneaux
cases aren't the only Ones in Washington Parish worked by Tom
and his team of investigators, where a suicide or self
inflicted death has come under scrutiny. It makes
me wonder what was really going on at the Washington Parish
Sheriff's office in 2012, 2017
(09:02):
and beyond. I'm not sure we'll ever know.
But what does seem clear based on Sheriff Smith's actions
in the Wittner case, is his desire to solve the
Parish's forgotten cold cases. And he's taking
action. What does that mean for Donna's case?
Time will tell, but it's promising.
(09:24):
It had been a few months since I approached Scott, and I wanted to
try again. Before the podcast launched.
Sources had shared his work schedule, so I had a feeling he'd be
home. Sure enough, his vehicle was in the
driveway and I pulled in.
(09:55):
I'm pretty certain I saw a shadow through the glass door, but no
one ever answered. I went back to town for some
caffeine. The iced americano at What's Up is
admittedly an addiction when I'm in Franklinton.
I returned to the Barndominium, I guess you'd call it,
the residence Scott built behind Donna's. I had been
told a man named Mr. Collins lived there. Apparently he
(10:15):
and Scott spent a lot of time together, so I thought maybe he could
help arrange a conversation.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:27):
Hello?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:28):
Hi there. I'm trying to find Scott.
Do you know if he's home?
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:33):
Who are you?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:33):
Tucker Summer.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:35):
And why are you want to see Scott?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:37):
I'm working on the Donna Arceneaux case.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:39):
I thought that was over with. Didn't they decide that she killed
herself?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:42):
No, it's ruled a homicide.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:44):
No, it's not. It's in the newspaper, on the headlines.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:47):
No it's a hom...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:47):
It's in the newspaper. Read the
newspaper headlines. It was determined she killed
herself.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:54):
But...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:54):
There is no investigation. She's
dead.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:57):
No, the State Police
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:58):
She's dead. Leave her alone. Let everybody else,
get over it. They're trying to recover from the
grief. You know what? If you have somebody
die, Take a new carton of eggs.
You pull one out, there's an empty space.
People are trying to get over her. Missing.
Okay. Get off the property. Get the fuck out
of my face.
>> Tucker Simmons (11:19):
The State Police are investigating...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (11:20):
I don't give a fuck about State Police or
you. I don't want to talk to you people. Never come to
[inaudible] You got that? Get the fuck
out. I'm getting pissed. Get...
>> Tucker Simmons (11:31):
Okay.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (11:31):
Get my gun.
>> Tucker Simmons (11:38):
He's going to get his gun.
Boy, was I wrong. No conversation being arranged after
that. In later conversations with sources,
I learned that during my brief encounter with Mr. Collins,
apparently Scott was right inside the cracked door,
(11:59):
observing our interaction. I'm told Scott has an
attorney who's advised him not to talk to anyone. I can
understand that, but knowing he was right
inside the door and presumably had coached Mr. Collins
what to say, it's just strange that they continue to push
the suicide theory and rehash the debunked newspaper
headline instead of a desire to catch the person who
(12:19):
killed the love of your life. I'll
reiterate, it's clear the State Police feel they need more
evidence before arresting anyone, but it seems like there's
a complete lack of interest in solving the homicide from certain
individuals. Not even an acknowledgement Donna could
have been murdered from her boyfriend who claims he loved her more than
anything. It's eye opening, to say the least.
(12:41):
Throughout this process, I've been contacted by many
sources who will remain off the record for a variety of
reasons. The trust I've built with insiders on all
levels is the only reason I have what I do.
However, when sources publicly out themselves, it
puts me in a precarious situation. Do I break that bond
and trust just because they did? Many of
my sources have provided information that I didn't need to make
(13:03):
public corroboration of evidence, details that
solidified timelines, names of those I needed to
contact, things I didn't feel I needed to reveal
explicitly in this podcast. But two sources in
particular, both whom reached out to me first, have now made
themselves known publicly. In order to protect
their anonymity and safety, I won't be using their
names. I've chosen to combine my conversations with
(13:26):
them into one read by our narrator.
>> Narrator (13:32):
Scott and Donna were cheating on each other, and he told me there
were certain things he was into, but never asked Donna to do it
because he didn't want to open up that can of worms with her.
When I heard about certain situations on the coast,
I felt very uncomfortable. One in particular
made me question everything I thought I knew about this guy.
He's controlling over his Partners. How could
(13:53):
he have gone the whole day without contacting her or going over
there? He can't go more than a couple of hours without
checking in. I've seen it myself. I've seen
how he won't let an argument fizzle out. He
never told me the whole story about Donna. It was always bits
and pieces. He said he texted her after hearing a
gunshot and asked why she would shoot near his house with his kids
(14:13):
there. She sent back a picture of herself in bed
to prove it wasn't her. I heard there was more than one
shell casing. But he has always told me he only heard
one gunshot that night when he texted her. I've heard
about pork chops for dinner. I've heard he ordered food from the
Japanese place in town. But I'm telling you, I'm
nearly certain his kids ate ramen noodles Sunday night.
(14:34):
His kids have said that when they came out to the living room that night,
he wasn't there. I don't know, but it sounds
like he was gone Sunday night. He wasn't home for
a period of time. That's my understanding. Then he
took the kids to school on Monday and went shopping. He told
me he tried reaching Donna several times and noticed she wasn't on
Facebook all day, which was weird. I feel like
(14:55):
he would have gone over there if he was worried. It was
normal for him to just show up. I can't remember
if it was his son or daughter, but on Monday, before they found
Donna, he took one of his kids shopping in Covington and
dropped them off at Alicia, his ex wife and mother of their
kids. From what I remember, Alicia picked up the
other kid from school. So I know he was gone from the house for
(15:15):
a long time on Monday. I always wondered why he
didn't have Donna go with him to Covington. He loves
running the roads and always needs a companion. So
even if they were fighting the night before, I know him, he
would have tried to reconcile Monday morning.
I asked him about what the scene looked like. He
said she shot herself on the bed and must have run to the
(15:35):
bathroom to get a towel and died there. He said he found her
in the bathroom or the doorway of the bathroom and there was
a trail of blood to where the towels were. But then a friend
said he found her next to the bed, which I now know is the
truth. I've never seen him be violent
personally. Maybe Donna did have a gun, threatening
to hurt herself and they got into a fight while he was trying to
(15:56):
take it from her. I guess it could have gone off
accidentally, but why not come forward and put this to
rest, if it was accidental? When the billboard
went up, he was furious. His main concern was people
talking about him. If it was a murder like the experts
say and he truly loved her, you'd think he'd be happy about the
renewed interest instead of continuing to tell people she committed
(16:16):
suicide. It's a weird situation.
Most people around him talk about the case with everyone but
him. No one really knows what happened, but
we all have our suspicions. If it weren't
for hurting his kids and his mom, a lot more people would share what
they know. A lot of it isn't directly relevant to
Donna's case, but there are so many rumors about the
(16:37):
relationship, his trips to the coast, the motive.
Maybe it's all connected? I know Tom
Anderson claims he took Scott to his house and watched him change
clothes before going in for questioning. Tom
says he took pictures of Scott's body and there were no defensive
marks. But I don't know what to believe. I understand
Michelle was stripped at the Sheriff's office and questioned all
night. Why was Scott taken to his house and not
(16:59):
directly into the Sheriff's office? It just sounds like he got
some special treatment.
>> Tucker Simmons (17:05):
Did y'all pick up on all the inconsistencies like I did?
For one dinner Sunday night, we know the pork
chops weren't cooked. They were in the sink at Donna's.
According to Scott's ex wife, Alicia, her kids said
dad went to town to get Akita sushi for dinner.
But these sources who are close to the family, say the
kids remember eating ramen noodles that night because dad wasn't
(17:27):
home. I'm not sure what to make of it or if it's
relevant, but it would be very helpful to know where Scott
was Sunday night if he wasn't home with his kids.
The second point that stands out is where he found
Donna. We know for a fact he found her on the
floor next to the bed and in front of the right
nightstand. So why has he told others he found her
in the bathroom? And where was the trail of blood to the
(17:49):
towels he claimed to see? There was a smudge of
blood on the bathroom floor next to a towel with blood on
it, but not enough to be a towel Donna pressed against her
breast to cover a gunshot wound. We
do know the State Police crime lab found evidence of blood cleanup
in the bathroom. Could that be the trail of blood
to the towels that Scott referenced? If so,
(18:10):
who cleaned it up? Perhaps the same person
or persons who took the object off the bed that created
the bloody 90 degree angle. As usual,
I checked in with Demmie about the discrepancies and a whole lot
more. Much of what we discussed is pure
speculation. As we talk through the case and possibilities,
keep in mind all suspects are innocent until
(18:30):
proven guilty.
So I had a call with one of the two sources
that we've discussed before that's close to Scott. It
seems like a lot of the things that he shared over
time are not adding up to what he
told investigators. The first thing is
this person says that Scott was not home that
(18:51):
night and they ended up eating
ramen noodles. He told you guys that he
went to Akita sushi?
>> Demmie Rice (18:59):
No, he... No, he did not say that.
He never told us anything like that.
When I interviewed his ex wife,
that's where it came in. That she had
called her children several times
throughout the day. And the
last time, I think at 7:00 that evening, she
(19:20):
called and her
son told her that he was eating Akita sushi.
>> Tucker Simmons (19:26):
I guess for me it seems important because
how long was he gone on Sunday evening?
>> Demmie Rice (19:32):
He was not there at 2:00,
4:00 and I think another time, I
don't remember the exact time when his ex wife
called, so he could have been gone that
whole time. Now, I don't know if
he came back and checked
on what, but according to her
statement, it was at those certain
(19:54):
particular times. He was never there.
>> Tucker Simmons (19:57):
Well, whether it was Akita sushi or ramen noodles, I guess
doesn't really matter. But the main point is he wasn't
there. So I wonder what he was doing.
>> Demmie Rice (20:07):
That's a good question.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:09):
One of the other statements, I'm just looking at my notes here.
I guess on Monday morning he took the kids to
school and then this person
couldn't remember if it was his son
or daughter, he took one of them shopping in Covington
and then dropped them off at Alicia's house.
And then I believe Alicia picked up the other kid from
(20:30):
school.
>> Demmie Rice (20:31):
Correct. It was the daughter he
brought because he, he was in a hurry to go,
the daughter told the mother
that, he was in a hurry to go buy a shirt at
Belk.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:43):
It was a shirt for himself or for her?
>> Demmie Rice (20:46):
For him. That's why he couldn't wait for the son
to get off of football practice.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:51):
Oh, so he took the daughter
to Belk to buy himself a shirt.
>> Demmie Rice (20:57):
Correct.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:58):
I wonder if that was the shirt he was wearing when Michelle pulled up to the
house that night, on Monday night.
>> Demmie Rice (21:04):
Maybe so, because he did look like he
was going to church.
>> Tucker Simmons (21:09):
They were saying that he never really would tell the story in
full, but over time they've
overheard conversations or had direct conversations.
And when asked, like
how he found her, what the scene looked like,
he told this person that
she had shot herself on the bed
and must have run to the bathroom to get a towel
(21:32):
and then died there because there was a trail of blood through
the bathroom to where the towels were.
Obviously she was not found in the bathroom. He told this person
she was found on the... or he found her on the floor of the bathroom or in
the doorway of the bathroom? I couldn't remember exactly,
but.
>> Demmie Rice (21:48):
Well, obviously not. But I think he's trying
to. To justify that she cleaned
up the... the but... and it's
like... I believe this was, one of our past
conversations where I
dropped the, f bomb on you,
that she, she did not – and no,
I'm not saying it again – that it's physically
(22:09):
impossible for her to have shot herself on
that bed, walk from the
bed into the bathroom, bled
out like she did, clean
it all up, then go and lay down on the
floor. No way. She might
have lived, the pathologist says a
minute to a minute and a half. That was
(22:32):
impossible to get all that done.
>> Tucker Simmons (22:34):
So if he's telling this person he found her in the
bathroom or in the doorway and there was a trail of
blood to where the towels were, I mean for
me, it makes me think it's possible he just slipped
up and he took her to the bathroom after
shooting and then cleaned up the trail that he talked about
to where the towels were. Again, speculation. But he
(22:55):
knows where he found her, so why would he change that?
>> Demmie Rice (22:58):
He's covering up his past lives at this
point. He's changing the details
up.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:04):
Maybe her dying in the bathroom is actually
what happened. And then
when State Police sprayed luminol or whatever it was and
found blood cleanup, it's probably the trail of
blood he's talking about that was in the bathroom when he went to get
towels to try to clean up.
>> Demmie Rice (23:20):
Correct that. That is a possibility.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:23):
And then the last thing. We talked about this before, but we'll go over it
again. This person is also under the assumption
that Scott was taken to his house by Tom
Anderson, changed clothes, pictures were
taken, and then he was taken to the station,
which, when you compare that to how Michelle was
treated and she was photographed at the Sheriff's
office. I mean, I guess the argument could be, well, he
(23:46):
lived right there, 100 yards away, so we let him go get a change of
clothes, but it just goes...
>> Demmie Rice (23:50):
It was improper procedure, he should have never been allowed to
go back to that house. He should have been brought straight to
the Sheriff's Office and questioned.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:59):
Tom claims he did take pictures of Scott's
body, to confirm there were no defensive wounds. Defensive woulds...
>> Demmie Rice (24:05):
There was no picture. The only
picture I saw of Scott was taken
at the Sheriff's office of his
hands and forearms with his sleeves rolled
up.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:16):
And what about Michelle? Were there photos of Michelle's
body?
>> Demmie Rice (24:21):
I've seen some of Michelle, but none of her fully
naked.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:24):
So even if visually you can confirm there's no
defensive wounds. You still take the photos just to have it
recorded, right?
>> Demmie Rice (24:32):
Correct. As proper procedure.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:35):
I think the moral of the story is Scott has
changed his story based on what he told
investigators, so that doesn't necessarily make him
guilty, but it definitely
raises my eyebrows.
>> Demmie Rice (24:48):
Well, you gotta remember, there's seven years that that
has passed since then. He
probably told 100 different stories over
those seven years.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:58):
You and everyone else I talked to who's actually seen
the case file is pretty convinced of
who's responsible for her death. So it just,
I don't understand what has taken so long.
Unless it's just the DA's office wanting an
overwhelming amount of evidence.
>> Demmie Rice (25:14):
At, particular times, I've seen where
cases were not accepted, but nothing of
this magnitude was ever
refuted.
>> Tucker Simmons (25:26):
Washington and St. Tammany parishes share a
judicial district, Louisiana's 22nd,
which means they share a DA For
30 years, a man named Walter Reed served as the elected
DA Under scrutiny in 2014,
he announced he would not seek reelection. In
2016, Reid was convicted on 18 counts
of fraud and corruption, then sentenced to four years in
(25:49):
prison. He was released early on house arrest during the COVID
19 pandemic, and he's now a free man.
For the sake of transparency, I'll share with you that Reid was
in the jewelry and gold buying business with members of my
family until his legal woes and other racketeering
allegations sunk the company. I've included this
because the lack of trust in the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office isn't
(26:10):
exclusive. The DA's office has had a long
history of impropriety. During my
investigation, Reed's successor, Warren Montgomery,
passed while in office. A special election was held
in March of 2024 between Collin Sims,
first assistant DA turned acting DA following
Montgomery's passing, and Vincent Wynne,
who ran several divisions of the DA's office under Walter
(26:32):
Reed before going into private practice. Wynne
has also represented Donna's ex husband, Clay, on at least one
occasion. Collin Sims defeated Wynne with
69% of the vote. At the time, social media lit
up with suggestions. This commanding victory was yet another
referendum on Walter Reed and his team's 30 year
reign at the DA's office. I've run
(26:53):
into DA Sims several times since the election.
He's been tight lipped about Donna's case, and we haven't been able to
coordinate a formal meeting or interview. But from
what I'm told, he is prepared to review and prosecute
Donna's case if and when the State Police present it to
his Office.
Now back to my call with Demmie.
I hear there's a new Investigator with State Police on
(27:15):
it now, and hopefully they are making
progress. I understand they're listening to the podcast,
and I guess that's all we can hope for, is that they
listen. And in some way...
>> Demmie Rice (27:25):
I hope they are too, because they'll,
they'll realize, you know, the
discrepancies and what people
said back then and, you know, now on
this podcast, they're going to compare notes. I
hope they are and I, I pray every day Tucker, that they
are. You know, in the Bible, often, Jesus
responded "soon" and when people hear the
(27:47):
word soon, they think immediate. This
is seven years coming, that this person
need, needs to be arrested.
And I think in the course of, revealing of
the guilty party, a lot of people are going to
go down for, you know, their misdeeds in
it, whether it's an
(28:08):
accessory after the fact, accessory to
murder, malfeasance in
office, obstruction of justice. It
could be any number of charges that can result from
this investigation, on additional people.
I believe Sheriff Smith is an honorable man
with integrity, and he's going to do the job like it needs to
(28:28):
be done.
>> Tucker Simmons (28:29):
Well, his, his work in the Wittner case within
a couple weeks of taking office, if that's any indication
of how they'll advocate in
Donna's case. I'm, feeling pretty good about it.
>> Demmie Rice (28:40):
The last few days, I've been reading every. Every
single comment.
>> Tucker Simmons (28:44):
It's. I mean, a lot of the stuff in there, people are complaining about it
being not relevant. I don't know, for me, it, it is!
>> Demmie Rice (28:50):
It is very relevant. It's very relevant
when his current girlfriend,
who is living in Donna's house,
is posting comments like that. She
is divulging information
that is very credible to the
case.
>> Tucker Simmons (29:09):
Well, thank you for keeping up with it all, too, because...
>> Demmie Rice (29:11):
I'm trying my best, cause I want to see
this through Tucker, you know, it. I need that
for myself. After all these
years, you know, what I went through at the Sheriff's
office working with a... and I'm gonna
say it, a bunch of dumbasses.
Don't get me wrong, not everybody was like that. I
(29:31):
was treated with respect by some people. When it came
to hot cases, I was treated like I didn't know shit.
>> Tucker Simmons (29:37):
And they would just give you the, the grunt work, from what I
understand. Right,
>> Demmie Rice (29:41):
Correct. Just the grunt. Right the... the...
Oh, its, its beneath them to work those cases.
Doesn't matter if it is gone
take a animal abuse
neglect complaint to go and work a
homicide. Your job is to protect and
serve the citizens of Washington Parish, no matter
(30:02):
what the call is. You know, and
that's why I'm. I'm following, watching, not
watching, listening to the podcast. Well, you can say
watching and listening because I'm looking at the phone, at the time
stamp of what is being said, you know,
particularly Tom Anderson, you know, his
disgruntledness against me. I don't know why.
The only thing is, he knows my
(30:25):
personality is, no matter what,
speak the truth.
>> Tucker Simmons (30:29):
Well, he definitely has a lot of feelings about you,
and...
>> Demmie Rice (30:32):
I'm sure he does.
>> Tucker Simmons (30:34):
The more public Demmie's assistance in my investigation
becomes, the more disparaging comments I hear about
her. Early on, I was told many things.
Of course, we did our due diligence, and I confronted her with the
claims now that they were ramping up behind the
scenes, I wanted to get her on the record discussing a few of the
allegations.
One of them in particular, which we've spoken about
(30:55):
before, said she botched the case against,
you know, a sexual deviant because there was no evidence, and she arrested
him too soon. Well, he just pled guilty, so
there must have been something.
>> Demmie Rice (31:05):
Whoa, are you referencing the [bleep]
case?
>> Tucker Simmons (31:09):
Yes.
>> Demmie Rice (31:10):
That is a good old boy system where that family was,
very popular. His father was the
farmer school board superintendent,
and I had balls from
people within my extended family speaking
on that person's behalf. Whereas I explained to
him I am looking at the evidence. I had
the evidence. So why would they say
(31:33):
I botched a case and made an
arrest when as I already
had the evidence, I was looking at it in my hand.
Now, this person took a plea deal because he
didn't want to go to court and get the max sentence. So
what does that tell you? I did not botch the case
because I had the evidence enough to arrest
(31:53):
that person, of which I did.
And frankly, you know, and pardon the French,
I don't give a shit what people think about
me. But whatever you say about me, it better
be the truth, because nobody has
room to talk about me when they have
dirty skeletons in their closet. That goes to
show you the good old boy system and the
(32:16):
corruption in this Parish.
>> Tucker Simmons (32:18):
I mean, I'm sure there were cases that you wish had gone differently,
but, I mean, I wish I had done a lot differently in Donna's
investigation, too, so.
>> Demmie Rice (32:25):
Oh, yes, I will tell you. I lost. it was a
misdemeanor case, but it tortured me.
Where I see some dogs on
property where I found them, and
I had been receiving complaints about them. And the dogs were
severely neglected because
I couldn't physically see all the dogs on
(32:45):
a property. And I walked the property after finding
the first dogs. I should have gotten a search
warrant. That's why I lost that case, because I did
not get a search warrant to go further onto the
property. That was my mistake in that
case. Have I made mistakes in other cases? Yes,
I have, and I can own up to them. But one
(33:06):
thing I knew about Donna's case, I was not messing
up there, and they knew it.
Next complaint you had on me
>> Tucker Simmons (33:13):
Well, one of the other things, Tom said was
I watched Demmie closely on Donna's case
because I didn't want her to get us all in trouble by doing something
illegal or something to that point.
>> Demmie Rice (33:26):
I would have never done something illegal. And second
of all, he didn't watch me closely at all because
they'd only walk to my door and say, "Hey, what's going on with the
case? What have you found?" That's it.
I wouldn't do something illegal. That
may have been something he might have done in his
career, not in mine. When
(33:46):
this case comes to an end with an
arrest, you know, I can finally feel
some vindication to where I can
really feel retired now. you know, whether
I am working at the Sheriff's
Office or helping out with this podcast,
it's about integrity, being able
(34:07):
to do the right thing.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:09):
Well, we will talk soon, because there
are many updates that have happened over the course of
the podcast, and we'll be working on those episodes
soon.
>> Demmie Rice (34:19):
Most definitely, you know I'm willing to provide a time you
need.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:23):
All right, Mama D.
>> Demmie Rice (34:24):
Go ahead, edit you phone call, dear. And I tell my husband I
was talking about him to ya
>> Tucker Simmons (34:30):
Ah, right. [chuckle]
>> Demmie Rice (34:31):
All right.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:32):
I'll talk to you later. All right.
>> Demmie Rice (34:33):
Bye
>> Tucker Simmons (34:35):
Other than alluding to it in episode 1, I haven't
discussed how I knew of Demmie prior to this investigation.
It's very personal, and as open as I've been with you guys, I
don't feel the need to expose that. But I will
say, in my experience in the past and since working
this case, Demmie is the woman you hear in every
episode of this podcast. What you see, what you
(34:55):
hear, that's what you get. We've interviewed many
people about Demmie's integrity, and if I questioned her motives
or work on this case, you would not be hearing from her.
As the launch date of this podcast was nearing, we prepared
billboards, social media ads, newspaper
ads, and attempted to secure an exhibit at the Washington
Parish Free Fair. Nothing provocative, just a place
(35:15):
to educate visitors about Donna's case and hand out
merchandise to continue the justice for Donna
conversation. The fair is the last place Donna was
seen before her death, so it felt like an appropriate
venue. Sadly, we were denied.
I've heard several stories as to why, but the official reason
was we're fully booked. Those of
you who attended The Fair in October 2024 likely
(35:37):
saw the exhibit space. Multiple empty booths
and no sign of enthusiasm. It all
became much more clear when I learned a couple of the Washington Parish
Fair association members may have ties to Donna's
case. Then it really came together when a
source overheard a conversation. We were told
the space was "sold out," but in reality,
(35:58):
they just didn't want the most high profile murder in the Parish
to have visibility at the most attended event in
said Parish. I get that it's a family event,
which is why we made clear there would be nothing provocative.
But this type of sheepish backroom decision making
is why Washington Parish is the butt of every good old
boy corruption joke. Compared to the mishandling of
(36:18):
Donna's case, this is nothing. But when certain
people receive even a shred of perceived power in this
town, they can't help but flex it. That
mindset has infected every aspect of this community. Don't
get me wrong, I love this place. I love The
Fair. I have friends who are members of the Fair Association.
They're incredible people. But let's be real.
(36:39):
Donna deserved a presence at this event, and the
denial lit a fire under many of us. This wouldn't be
the last time the board of the Washington Parish Free Fair would
issue us a denial. More on that in a later
episode.
Boy, oh boy, it's a lot of voiceover in this episode.
(36:59):
Thanks for bearing with me. I've got a few more things to
share. I intended to lay out my theory
of what happened the night Donna was killed. Based on all my
interviews, the evidence we've obtained, Demmie's
notes, I was ready to present my theory.
However, as this podcast has released, a few things
have changed. People have come forward,
suspects have openly disparaged Donna and others on
(37:21):
Facebook, and some close to the investigation have even been
arrested for other offenses. I am not law
enforcement. All I can do is get the information out
there. So until I feel I have the full scope of this
case, I won't be sharing my theory. This is a very
fluid situation happening in real time. But if you've
been listening closely, you likely already know where I
(37:41):
stand. Many of you have asked, and yes, I have been
in touch with the Louisiana State Police throughout this
process. All I can say is those of you with
information about this case, those of you covering for your friends
and family, those of you lurking on this podcast and social
media choosing not to come forward, you will be
implicated just as much as the killer. Come
forward. Tell us what you know. Save yourself before
(38:04):
it's too late. Before we wrap up
episode eight and get to work on future update
episodes, I have one more thing to share.
As much as I wanted to make contact with Donna's daughter at the
beginning of this investigation, I never did. She was
a minor, and I was hopeful she would reach out when the time was right
for her. Shortly after the launch of this
podcast, just days after turning 18,
(38:26):
I received this text.
Hi Tucker, this is Ellie Arceneaux, Donna's
daughter. I've been waiting to contact you till I was
18. I have had a feeling, I wanted to say something since I
was in the middle of everything. Contact me at any
time because I need to finally feel my part has
been spoken.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (38:47):
I've wanted to have a say in all of this
and, like, been able to get my side
out because I feel as if, like, I
love my dad, I love my brother, but they
weren't there. They didn't experience it.
Half of the people that, like, say they were there
kind of were, like, friends that only came over every now and then
and whatever, but I was there two
(39:09):
weeks out of the month.
>> Tucker Simmons (39:10):
Do you remember what you and your mom did on
Saturday?
>> Ellie Arceneaux (39:14):
I think they had extended the fair that week. So I think we
went that night and
we were with Scott and then they got an
argument, so me and my mom left
and he was still there with, Tommy.
>> Tucker Simmons (39:29):
Hmm, well that doesn't add up to Scott story that he gave
investigators, so that's actually a really important piece of information.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (39:35):
He did not show up to that house that night, like, at
all. He's a lying piece of shit.
>> Tucker Simmons (40:19):
As I've always said, solving this case would be incredibly
difficult without access to the case file. Even without
it though, we've uncovered a massive amount of information,
details about the scene and interviews with me
that contradict interviews with investigators. Sources
with valuable information that make me question how many people were
involved have come forward since the release of this
podcast. I've promised update episodes and
(40:41):
they're coming. I'll need a few weeks to follow up on leads,
but rest assured, this is far from over.
Make sure you follow rate and review on Apple podcasts,
Spotify, or wherever you're listening. It's a huge help in spreading the word
about Donna's case. Then head over to
freezeframepodcast.com for behind the scenes details on
the investigation, and follow us on socials @freezeframepod for
(41:01):
exclusive content. Freeze Frame is a But Why
Media production. It's written and produced by me, Tucker
Simmons, editing and post production by Evan
Desaulnier, narration by Greg Gehringer
and Carrie Loren, and our original music is
Something Strange by Tabitha Meeks.
>> 'Something Strange' by Tabitha Meeks (41:30):
Something Strange,
Something Strange. In the air tonight.
You can't hide forever.
The claims, views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and
do not represent those of but why Media or its
Partners. All subjects are innocent until proven
guilty. This is a podcast about
difficult topics and it may not be suitable for all
audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (00:26):
Get off the property. Get the fuck out of my face.
>> Tucker Simmons (00:28):
The State Police are investigating.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (00:30):
I don't give a fuck about state police or
you.
>> Demmie Rice (00:35):
The only picture I saw of
Scott was he was taken at the
Sheriff's office of his hands and
forearms with his sleeves rolled up.
I want to see this through Tucker and you know it. I
need that for myself.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (00:52):
I wanted to have a say in all of this. Been
able to get my side out because
they weren't there. They didn't experience
it. But I was there. Two weeks out of the
month.
>> 'Something Strange' by Tabitha Meeks (01:12):
I'm feeling heavy, there's a pounding in
my chest, the shadows
hiding but I see the
silhouettes,
Fear lives in the quiet,
Whispers in the silence.
>> Tucker Simmons (01:33):
I'm Tucker Simmons and this is Freeze
Frame, an investigation into the unsolved
murder of Donna Arceneaux.
>> News Anchor (01:57):
Also in Washington Parish, Randy Seal
was hoping to keep the title he's held since
2012. But his challenger
Jason Smith, believed his military background
gave him the upper edge for Sheriff, and he was
correct. Longtime Sheriff Seal is
unseated with a 60 to 40%
final vote.
>> Tucker Simmons (02:17):
On November 18, 2023, Sheriff Randy
Seal was unseated by retired Marine commander and
local rancher Jason Smith. His win
with 60% of the vote shocked many in the community,
especially after the majority of local political groups and
statewide organizations endorsed Seal. The
decisive win brought hope for many families, among them
(02:38):
Donna Arceneaux. But Donna's isn't the only high profile
case casting a shadow on the Washington Parish Sheriff's
office.
In 2012, 14 year old Brett Wittner was shot
in the back of the head with a .22 caliber rifle.
The forensic pathologist who conducted Brett's autopsy
concluded it was an accidental self inflicted gunshot
wound. Brett's mom, Donna Wittner spent
(03:01):
12 years investigating for herself in a constant loop
between the Sheriff's office, the coroner's office and the
DA's office. In early 2024,
David Hammer, chief investigative reporter for
WWL TV New Orleans, took an interest in
Brett's case. His extensive reporting led to
immediate action by Sheriff Smith during his first week in
office.
>> David Hammer (03:23):
I actually started by investigating the new
St Tammany Parish Coroner, Christopher Tape,
for old sexual assault
allegations that he faced in New Mexico.
He was elected without opposition.
And after that I learned about
the charges that he faced. And I then
(03:43):
heard from Donna Wittner the mother of
Brett Wittner Brett had been killed in
2012 when he was 14 years old. He was
at a sleepover with other kids
ranging in age from 11 to 15.
And she found out that her son had
been shot in the head. And ever since
(04:05):
then she's been concerned about the case. And it turns
out that the autopsy in that case
on behalf of Washington Parish was handled
by Dr. Christopher Tape, who
was a private forensic pathologist in the Lafayette
area at the time. It seemed like a case
that needed to be investigated because, while
(04:25):
there was coverage at the time in 2012 about
how unlikely it was that a
14 year old boy would shoot himself in the
back of the head with a long rifle,
it kind of died. Didn't get the attention
anymore in the media. And then Donna Wittner
would protest over the years out
(04:45):
in front of the coroner's office in Washington Parish and in front
of the Sheriff's office and just wasn't
getting anywhere. And she had
collected the evidence from Washington Parish of the
investigation. And there were just so many holes in the
investigation. They had found
two shell casings at the scene. There were
conflicting statements from the
(05:07):
witnesses, and it was
unclear how he could have physically shot
himself at that angle. But that was the
determination that it was an accidental self inflicted
gunshot wound with a long rifle
behind the right ear. I
was able to get all of the documentation from Donna
Wittner and I found
(05:30):
experts in gunshot wounds
and in ballistics in
Europe and they reviewed the
evidence and they felt that there was a strong
indication that there could have been a second
gunshot. Nobody had really reviewed
those pieces of evidence
until Donna Wittner shared all of that
(05:51):
stuff with me and I was able to pass it on to these
experts. So all of this
uncertainty led, the
new Sheriff, Jason Smith, to
reopen the case and
to support a
exhumation of Brett Whitner's remains.
Longtime Washington Parish coroner Roger Kasama
(06:13):
did make the call to do the exhumation.
but I think that the Sheriff's interest in
reopening the case and his
pressure probably led to that
decision.
>> Tucker Simmons (06:25):
Following the exhumation, Washington Parish's Chief
Deputy coroner drove Brett's remains to Texas
for a secondary autopsy. As of October
2024, Brett's remains are at
LSU's Faces Lab for anthropological
review. Brett's case is relevant in this
investigation for several reasons. Most
interestingly, Tom Anderson was a Washington Parish
(06:47):
Sheriff's Office lieutenant at the time of Brett's death.
He was the first dispatched to the scene. A couple
of years after Brett's death, Tom joined
investigations and eventually became lead
Investigator. When I met with Tom about Donna's
case, he brought up several other cases where his name comes up in
criticism. Brett's being one of them.
Just like in episode 6, the following narration is a
(07:09):
summarization of Tom's thoughts on the case during our meeting
on his front porch. These are not direct
quotes.
>> Narrator (07:16):
Brett went to a sleepover with some kids he didn't know very
well. The parents in the house went to bed early and
Brett grabbed a rifle off the wall. He pointed it around
and the other kids told him to put it down and leave it alone.
The next morning, Brett and two others were up early in the
kitchen and he grabbed the rifle again. The other kids
told him to put it down again and he joked that it wasn't even
loaded. He threw it over his shoulder, turned his head
(07:39):
and accidentally pulled the trigger. At first I was
saying there's no way you can shoot yourself in the back of the head with a
rifle. But on the scene there was a Daisy BB gun
as well. I compared the little BB gun to the .22
caliber rifle Brett was playing with and they are almost
identical in size. It was a short barrel
22. That convinced me that it was actually
(07:59):
possible for him to shoot himself back there.
Brett's mom didn't want to believe us. She protested in front
of the Sheriff's office and all. But it went to a grand jury
and they agreed it was an accidental death, no foul
play.
>> Tucker Simmons (08:16):
Tom's recollection of the scene doesn't match that of the
pathologist or WWL's experts. Most
glaringly is the story about a Daisy BB gun on
scene, which to my understanding is nowhere in
WPSO's reports. Tom remembers the
BB gun and the .22 caliber rifle being the same
size, suggesting the .22 was a short barrel.
This convinced him it was a self inflicted gunshot wound to the
(08:39):
back of the head. But all reports included in David
Hammer's reporting clearly State long
barrel rifle. The Wittner and Arceneaux
cases aren't the only Ones in Washington Parish worked by Tom
and his team of investigators, where a suicide or self
inflicted death has come under scrutiny. It makes
me wonder what was really going on at the Washington Parish
Sheriff's office in 2012, 2017
(09:02):
and beyond. I'm not sure we'll ever know.
But what does seem clear based on Sheriff Smith's actions
in the Wittner case, is his desire to solve the
Parish's forgotten cold cases. And he's taking
action. What does that mean for Donna's case?
Time will tell, but it's promising.
(09:24):
It had been a few months since I approached Scott, and I wanted to
try again. Before the podcast launched.
Sources had shared his work schedule, so I had a feeling he'd be
home. Sure enough, his vehicle was in the
driveway and I pulled in.
(09:55):
I'm pretty certain I saw a shadow through the glass door, but no
one ever answered. I went back to town for some
caffeine. The iced americano at What's Up is
admittedly an addiction when I'm in Franklinton.
I returned to the Barndominium, I guess you'd call it,
the residence Scott built behind Donna's. I had been
told a man named Mr. Collins lived there. Apparently he
(10:15):
and Scott spent a lot of time together, so I thought maybe he could
help arrange a conversation.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:27):
Hello?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:28):
Hi there. I'm trying to find Scott.
Do you know if he's home?
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:33):
Who are you?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:33):
Tucker Summer.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:35):
And why are you want to see Scott?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:37):
I'm working on the Donna Arceneaux case.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:39):
I thought that was over with. Didn't they decide that she killed
herself?
>> Tucker Simmons (10:42):
No, it's ruled a homicide.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:44):
No, it's not. It's in the newspaper, on the headlines.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:47):
No it's a hom...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:47):
It's in the newspaper. Read the
newspaper headlines. It was determined she killed
herself.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:54):
But...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:54):
There is no investigation. She's
dead.
>> Tucker Simmons (10:57):
No, the State Police
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (10:58):
She's dead. Leave her alone. Let everybody else,
get over it. They're trying to recover from the
grief. You know what? If you have somebody
die, Take a new carton of eggs.
You pull one out, there's an empty space.
People are trying to get over her. Missing.
Okay. Get off the property. Get the fuck out
of my face.
>> Tucker Simmons (11:19):
The State Police are investigating...
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (11:20):
I don't give a fuck about State Police or
you. I don't want to talk to you people. Never come to
[inaudible] You got that? Get the fuck
out. I'm getting pissed. Get...
>> Tucker Simmons (11:31):
Okay.
>> Mr Collins (Scott's neighbor) (11:31):
Get my gun.
>> Tucker Simmons (11:38):
He's going to get his gun.
Boy, was I wrong. No conversation being arranged after
that. In later conversations with sources,
I learned that during my brief encounter with Mr. Collins,
apparently Scott was right inside the cracked door,
(11:59):
observing our interaction. I'm told Scott has an
attorney who's advised him not to talk to anyone. I can
understand that, but knowing he was right
inside the door and presumably had coached Mr. Collins
what to say, it's just strange that they continue to push
the suicide theory and rehash the debunked newspaper
headline instead of a desire to catch the person who
(12:19):
killed the love of your life. I'll
reiterate, it's clear the State Police feel they need more
evidence before arresting anyone, but it seems like there's
a complete lack of interest in solving the homicide from certain
individuals. Not even an acknowledgement Donna could
have been murdered from her boyfriend who claims he loved her more than
anything. It's eye opening, to say the least.
(12:41):
Throughout this process, I've been contacted by many
sources who will remain off the record for a variety of
reasons. The trust I've built with insiders on all
levels is the only reason I have what I do.
However, when sources publicly out themselves, it
puts me in a precarious situation. Do I break that bond
and trust just because they did? Many of
my sources have provided information that I didn't need to make
(13:03):
public corroboration of evidence, details that
solidified timelines, names of those I needed to
contact, things I didn't feel I needed to reveal
explicitly in this podcast. But two sources in
particular, both whom reached out to me first, have now made
themselves known publicly. In order to protect
their anonymity and safety, I won't be using their
names. I've chosen to combine my conversations with
(13:26):
them into one read by our narrator.
>> Narrator (13:32):
Scott and Donna were cheating on each other, and he told me there
were certain things he was into, but never asked Donna to do it
because he didn't want to open up that can of worms with her.
When I heard about certain situations on the coast,
I felt very uncomfortable. One in particular
made me question everything I thought I knew about this guy.
He's controlling over his Partners. How could
(13:53):
he have gone the whole day without contacting her or going over
there? He can't go more than a couple of hours without
checking in. I've seen it myself. I've seen
how he won't let an argument fizzle out. He
never told me the whole story about Donna. It was always bits
and pieces. He said he texted her after hearing a
gunshot and asked why she would shoot near his house with his kids
(14:13):
there. She sent back a picture of herself in bed
to prove it wasn't her. I heard there was more than one
shell casing. But he has always told me he only heard
one gunshot that night when he texted her. I've heard
about pork chops for dinner. I've heard he ordered food from the
Japanese place in town. But I'm telling you, I'm
nearly certain his kids ate ramen noodles Sunday night.
(14:34):
His kids have said that when they came out to the living room that night,
he wasn't there. I don't know, but it sounds
like he was gone Sunday night. He wasn't home for
a period of time. That's my understanding. Then he
took the kids to school on Monday and went shopping. He told
me he tried reaching Donna several times and noticed she wasn't on
Facebook all day, which was weird. I feel like
(14:55):
he would have gone over there if he was worried. It was
normal for him to just show up. I can't remember
if it was his son or daughter, but on Monday, before they found
Donna, he took one of his kids shopping in Covington and
dropped them off at Alicia, his ex wife and mother of their
kids. From what I remember, Alicia picked up the
other kid from school. So I know he was gone from the house for
(15:15):
a long time on Monday. I always wondered why he
didn't have Donna go with him to Covington. He loves
running the roads and always needs a companion. So
even if they were fighting the night before, I know him, he
would have tried to reconcile Monday morning.
I asked him about what the scene looked like. He
said she shot herself on the bed and must have run to the
(15:35):
bathroom to get a towel and died there. He said he found her
in the bathroom or the doorway of the bathroom and there was
a trail of blood to where the towels were. But then a friend
said he found her next to the bed, which I now know is the
truth. I've never seen him be violent
personally. Maybe Donna did have a gun, threatening
to hurt herself and they got into a fight while he was trying to
(15:56):
take it from her. I guess it could have gone off
accidentally, but why not come forward and put this to
rest, if it was accidental? When the billboard
went up, he was furious. His main concern was people
talking about him. If it was a murder like the experts
say and he truly loved her, you'd think he'd be happy about the
renewed interest instead of continuing to tell people she committed
(16:16):
suicide. It's a weird situation.
Most people around him talk about the case with everyone but
him. No one really knows what happened, but
we all have our suspicions. If it weren't
for hurting his kids and his mom, a lot more people would share what
they know. A lot of it isn't directly relevant to
Donna's case, but there are so many rumors about the
(16:37):
relationship, his trips to the coast, the motive.
Maybe it's all connected? I know Tom
Anderson claims he took Scott to his house and watched him change
clothes before going in for questioning. Tom
says he took pictures of Scott's body and there were no defensive
marks. But I don't know what to believe. I understand
Michelle was stripped at the Sheriff's office and questioned all
night. Why was Scott taken to his house and not
(16:59):
directly into the Sheriff's office? It just sounds like he got
some special treatment.
>> Tucker Simmons (17:05):
Did y'all pick up on all the inconsistencies like I did?
For one dinner Sunday night, we know the pork
chops weren't cooked. They were in the sink at Donna's.
According to Scott's ex wife, Alicia, her kids said
dad went to town to get Akita sushi for dinner.
But these sources who are close to the family, say the
kids remember eating ramen noodles that night because dad wasn't
(17:27):
home. I'm not sure what to make of it or if it's
relevant, but it would be very helpful to know where Scott
was Sunday night if he wasn't home with his kids.
The second point that stands out is where he found
Donna. We know for a fact he found her on the
floor next to the bed and in front of the right
nightstand. So why has he told others he found her
in the bathroom? And where was the trail of blood to the
(17:49):
towels he claimed to see? There was a smudge of
blood on the bathroom floor next to a towel with blood on
it, but not enough to be a towel Donna pressed against her
breast to cover a gunshot wound. We
do know the State Police crime lab found evidence of blood cleanup
in the bathroom. Could that be the trail of blood
to the towels that Scott referenced? If so,
(18:10):
who cleaned it up? Perhaps the same person
or persons who took the object off the bed that created
the bloody 90 degree angle. As usual,
I checked in with Demmie about the discrepancies and a whole lot
more. Much of what we discussed is pure
speculation. As we talk through the case and possibilities,
keep in mind all suspects are innocent until
(18:30):
proven guilty.
So I had a call with one of the two sources
that we've discussed before that's close to Scott. It
seems like a lot of the things that he shared over
time are not adding up to what he
told investigators. The first thing is
this person says that Scott was not home that
(18:51):
night and they ended up eating
ramen noodles. He told you guys that he
went to Akita sushi?
>> Demmie Rice (18:59):
No, he... No, he did not say that.
He never told us anything like that.
When I interviewed his ex wife,
that's where it came in. That she had
called her children several times
throughout the day. And the
last time, I think at 7:00 that evening, she
(19:20):
called and her
son told her that he was eating Akita sushi.
>> Tucker Simmons (19:26):
I guess for me it seems important because
how long was he gone on Sunday evening?
>> Demmie Rice (19:32):
He was not there at 2:00,
4:00 and I think another time, I
don't remember the exact time when his ex wife
called, so he could have been gone that
whole time. Now, I don't know if
he came back and checked
on what, but according to her
statement, it was at those certain
(19:54):
particular times. He was never there.
>> Tucker Simmons (19:57):
Well, whether it was Akita sushi or ramen noodles, I guess
doesn't really matter. But the main point is he wasn't
there. So I wonder what he was doing.
>> Demmie Rice (20:07):
That's a good question.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:09):
One of the other statements, I'm just looking at my notes here.
I guess on Monday morning he took the kids to
school and then this person
couldn't remember if it was his son
or daughter, he took one of them shopping in Covington
and then dropped them off at Alicia's house.
And then I believe Alicia picked up the other kid from
(20:30):
school.
>> Demmie Rice (20:31):
Correct. It was the daughter he
brought because he, he was in a hurry to go,
the daughter told the mother
that, he was in a hurry to go buy a shirt at
Belk.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:43):
It was a shirt for himself or for her?
>> Demmie Rice (20:46):
For him. That's why he couldn't wait for the son
to get off of football practice.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:51):
Oh, so he took the daughter
to Belk to buy himself a shirt.
>> Demmie Rice (20:57):
Correct.
>> Tucker Simmons (20:58):
I wonder if that was the shirt he was wearing when Michelle pulled up to the
house that night, on Monday night.
>> Demmie Rice (21:04):
Maybe so, because he did look like he
was going to church.
>> Tucker Simmons (21:09):
They were saying that he never really would tell the story in
full, but over time they've
overheard conversations or had direct conversations.
And when asked, like
how he found her, what the scene looked like,
he told this person that
she had shot herself on the bed
and must have run to the bathroom to get a towel
(21:32):
and then died there because there was a trail of blood through
the bathroom to where the towels were.
Obviously she was not found in the bathroom. He told this person
she was found on the... or he found her on the floor of the bathroom or in
the doorway of the bathroom? I couldn't remember exactly,
but.
>> Demmie Rice (21:48):
Well, obviously not. But I think he's trying
to. To justify that she cleaned
up the... the but... and it's
like... I believe this was, one of our past
conversations where I
dropped the, f bomb on you,
that she, she did not – and no,
I'm not saying it again – that it's physically
(22:09):
impossible for her to have shot herself on
that bed, walk from the
bed into the bathroom, bled
out like she did, clean
it all up, then go and lay down on the
floor. No way. She might
have lived, the pathologist says a
minute to a minute and a half. That was
(22:32):
impossible to get all that done.
>> Tucker Simmons (22:34):
So if he's telling this person he found her in the
bathroom or in the doorway and there was a trail of
blood to where the towels were, I mean for
me, it makes me think it's possible he just slipped
up and he took her to the bathroom after
shooting and then cleaned up the trail that he talked about
to where the towels were. Again, speculation. But he
(22:55):
knows where he found her, so why would he change that?
>> Demmie Rice (22:58):
He's covering up his past lives at this
point. He's changing the details
up.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:04):
Maybe her dying in the bathroom is actually
what happened. And then
when State Police sprayed luminol or whatever it was and
found blood cleanup, it's probably the trail of
blood he's talking about that was in the bathroom when he went to get
towels to try to clean up.
>> Demmie Rice (23:20):
Correct that. That is a possibility.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:23):
And then the last thing. We talked about this before, but we'll go over it
again. This person is also under the assumption
that Scott was taken to his house by Tom
Anderson, changed clothes, pictures were
taken, and then he was taken to the station,
which, when you compare that to how Michelle was
treated and she was photographed at the Sheriff's
office. I mean, I guess the argument could be, well, he
(23:46):
lived right there, 100 yards away, so we let him go get a change of
clothes, but it just goes...
>> Demmie Rice (23:50):
It was improper procedure, he should have never been allowed to
go back to that house. He should have been brought straight to
the Sheriff's Office and questioned.
>> Tucker Simmons (23:59):
Tom claims he did take pictures of Scott's
body, to confirm there were no defensive wounds. Defensive woulds...
>> Demmie Rice (24:05):
There was no picture. The only
picture I saw of Scott was taken
at the Sheriff's office of his
hands and forearms with his sleeves rolled
up.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:16):
And what about Michelle? Were there photos of Michelle's
body?
>> Demmie Rice (24:21):
I've seen some of Michelle, but none of her fully
naked.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:24):
So even if visually you can confirm there's no
defensive wounds. You still take the photos just to have it
recorded, right?
>> Demmie Rice (24:32):
Correct. As proper procedure.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:35):
I think the moral of the story is Scott has
changed his story based on what he told
investigators, so that doesn't necessarily make him
guilty, but it definitely
raises my eyebrows.
>> Demmie Rice (24:48):
Well, you gotta remember, there's seven years that that
has passed since then. He
probably told 100 different stories over
those seven years.
>> Tucker Simmons (24:58):
You and everyone else I talked to who's actually seen
the case file is pretty convinced of
who's responsible for her death. So it just,
I don't understand what has taken so long.
Unless it's just the DA's office wanting an
overwhelming amount of evidence.
>> Demmie Rice (25:14):
At, particular times, I've seen where
cases were not accepted, but nothing of
this magnitude was ever
refuted.
>> Tucker Simmons (25:26):
Washington and St. Tammany parishes share a
judicial district, Louisiana's 22nd,
which means they share a DA For
30 years, a man named Walter Reed served as the elected
DA Under scrutiny in 2014,
he announced he would not seek reelection. In
2016, Reid was convicted on 18 counts
of fraud and corruption, then sentenced to four years in
(25:49):
prison. He was released early on house arrest during the COVID
19 pandemic, and he's now a free man.
For the sake of transparency, I'll share with you that Reid was
in the jewelry and gold buying business with members of my
family until his legal woes and other racketeering
allegations sunk the company. I've included this
because the lack of trust in the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office isn't
(26:10):
exclusive. The DA's office has had a long
history of impropriety. During my
investigation, Reed's successor, Warren Montgomery,
passed while in office. A special election was held
in March of 2024 between Collin Sims,
first assistant DA turned acting DA following
Montgomery's passing, and Vincent Wynne,
who ran several divisions of the DA's office under Walter
(26:32):
Reed before going into private practice. Wynne
has also represented Donna's ex husband, Clay, on at least one
occasion. Collin Sims defeated Wynne with
69% of the vote. At the time, social media lit
up with suggestions. This commanding victory was yet another
referendum on Walter Reed and his team's 30 year
reign at the DA's office. I've run
(26:53):
into DA Sims several times since the election.
He's been tight lipped about Donna's case, and we haven't been able to
coordinate a formal meeting or interview. But from
what I'm told, he is prepared to review and prosecute
Donna's case if and when the State Police present it to
his Office.
Now back to my call with Demmie.
I hear there's a new Investigator with State Police on
(27:15):
it now, and hopefully they are making
progress. I understand they're listening to the podcast,
and I guess that's all we can hope for, is that they
listen. And in some way...
>> Demmie Rice (27:25):
I hope they are too, because they'll,
they'll realize, you know, the
discrepancies and what people
said back then and, you know, now on
this podcast, they're going to compare notes. I
hope they are and I, I pray every day Tucker, that they
are. You know, in the Bible, often, Jesus
responded "soon" and when people hear the
(27:47):
word soon, they think immediate. This
is seven years coming, that this person
need, needs to be arrested.
And I think in the course of, revealing of
the guilty party, a lot of people are going to
go down for, you know, their misdeeds in
it, whether it's an
(28:08):
accessory after the fact, accessory to
murder, malfeasance in
office, obstruction of justice. It
could be any number of charges that can result from
this investigation, on additional people.
I believe Sheriff Smith is an honorable man
with integrity, and he's going to do the job like it needs to
(28:28):
be done.
>> Tucker Simmons (28:29):
Well, his, his work in the Wittner case within
a couple weeks of taking office, if that's any indication
of how they'll advocate in
Donna's case. I'm, feeling pretty good about it.
>> Demmie Rice (28:40):
The last few days, I've been reading every. Every
single comment.
>> Tucker Simmons (28:44):
It's. I mean, a lot of the stuff in there, people are complaining about it
being not relevant. I don't know, for me, it, it is!
>> Demmie Rice (28:50):
It is very relevant. It's very relevant
when his current girlfriend,
who is living in Donna's house,
is posting comments like that. She
is divulging information
that is very credible to the
case.
>> Tucker Simmons (29:09):
Well, thank you for keeping up with it all, too, because...
>> Demmie Rice (29:11):
I'm trying my best, cause I want to see
this through Tucker, you know, it. I need that
for myself. After all these
years, you know, what I went through at the Sheriff's
office working with a... and I'm gonna
say it, a bunch of dumbasses.
Don't get me wrong, not everybody was like that. I
(29:31):
was treated with respect by some people. When it came
to hot cases, I was treated like I didn't know shit.
>> Tucker Simmons (29:37):
And they would just give you the, the grunt work, from what I
understand. Right,
>> Demmie Rice (29:41):
Correct. Just the grunt. Right the... the...
Oh, its, its beneath them to work those cases.
Doesn't matter if it is gone
take a animal abuse
neglect complaint to go and work a
homicide. Your job is to protect and
serve the citizens of Washington Parish, no matter
(30:02):
what the call is. You know, and
that's why I'm. I'm following, watching, not
watching, listening to the podcast. Well, you can say
watching and listening because I'm looking at the phone, at the time
stamp of what is being said, you know,
particularly Tom Anderson, you know, his
disgruntledness against me. I don't know why.
The only thing is, he knows my
(30:25):
personality is, no matter what,
speak the truth.
>> Tucker Simmons (30:29):
Well, he definitely has a lot of feelings about you,
and...
>> Demmie Rice (30:32):
I'm sure he does.
>> Tucker Simmons (30:34):
The more public Demmie's assistance in my investigation
becomes, the more disparaging comments I hear about
her. Early on, I was told many things.
Of course, we did our due diligence, and I confronted her with the
claims now that they were ramping up behind the
scenes, I wanted to get her on the record discussing a few of the
allegations.
One of them in particular, which we've spoken about
(30:55):
before, said she botched the case against,
you know, a sexual deviant because there was no evidence, and she arrested
him too soon. Well, he just pled guilty, so
there must have been something.
>> Demmie Rice (31:05):
Whoa, are you referencing the [bleep]
case?
>> Tucker Simmons (31:09):
Yes.
>> Demmie Rice (31:10):
That is a good old boy system where that family was,
very popular. His father was the
farmer school board superintendent,
and I had balls from
people within my extended family speaking
on that person's behalf. Whereas I explained to
him I am looking at the evidence. I had
the evidence. So why would they say
(31:33):
I botched a case and made an
arrest when as I already
had the evidence, I was looking at it in my hand.
Now, this person took a plea deal because he
didn't want to go to court and get the max sentence. So
what does that tell you? I did not botch the case
because I had the evidence enough to arrest
(31:53):
that person, of which I did.
And frankly, you know, and pardon the French,
I don't give a shit what people think about
me. But whatever you say about me, it better
be the truth, because nobody has
room to talk about me when they have
dirty skeletons in their closet. That goes to
show you the good old boy system and the
(32:16):
corruption in this Parish.
>> Tucker Simmons (32:18):
I mean, I'm sure there were cases that you wish had gone differently,
but, I mean, I wish I had done a lot differently in Donna's
investigation, too, so.
>> Demmie Rice (32:25):
Oh, yes, I will tell you. I lost. it was a
misdemeanor case, but it tortured me.
Where I see some dogs on
property where I found them, and
I had been receiving complaints about them. And the dogs were
severely neglected because
I couldn't physically see all the dogs on
(32:45):
a property. And I walked the property after finding
the first dogs. I should have gotten a search
warrant. That's why I lost that case, because I did
not get a search warrant to go further onto the
property. That was my mistake in that
case. Have I made mistakes in other cases? Yes,
I have, and I can own up to them. But one
(33:06):
thing I knew about Donna's case, I was not messing
up there, and they knew it.
Next complaint you had on me
>> Tucker Simmons (33:13):
Well, one of the other things, Tom said was
I watched Demmie closely on Donna's case
because I didn't want her to get us all in trouble by doing something
illegal or something to that point.
>> Demmie Rice (33:26):
I would have never done something illegal. And second
of all, he didn't watch me closely at all because
they'd only walk to my door and say, "Hey, what's going on with the
case? What have you found?" That's it.
I wouldn't do something illegal. That
may have been something he might have done in his
career, not in mine. When
(33:46):
this case comes to an end with an
arrest, you know, I can finally feel
some vindication to where I can
really feel retired now. you know, whether
I am working at the Sheriff's
Office or helping out with this podcast,
it's about integrity, being able
(34:07):
to do the right thing.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:09):
Well, we will talk soon, because there
are many updates that have happened over the course of
the podcast, and we'll be working on those episodes
soon.
>> Demmie Rice (34:19):
Most definitely, you know I'm willing to provide a time you
need.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:23):
All right, Mama D.
>> Demmie Rice (34:24):
Go ahead, edit you phone call, dear. And I tell my husband I
was talking about him to ya
>> Tucker Simmons (34:30):
Ah, right. [chuckle]
>> Demmie Rice (34:31):
All right.
>> Tucker Simmons (34:32):
I'll talk to you later. All right.
>> Demmie Rice (34:33):
Bye
>> Tucker Simmons (34:35):
Other than alluding to it in episode 1, I haven't
discussed how I knew of Demmie prior to this investigation.
It's very personal, and as open as I've been with you guys, I
don't feel the need to expose that. But I will
say, in my experience in the past and since working
this case, Demmie is the woman you hear in every
episode of this podcast. What you see, what you
(34:55):
hear, that's what you get. We've interviewed many
people about Demmie's integrity, and if I questioned her motives
or work on this case, you would not be hearing from her.
As the launch date of this podcast was nearing, we prepared
billboards, social media ads, newspaper
ads, and attempted to secure an exhibit at the Washington
Parish Free Fair. Nothing provocative, just a place
(35:15):
to educate visitors about Donna's case and hand out
merchandise to continue the justice for Donna
conversation. The fair is the last place Donna was
seen before her death, so it felt like an appropriate
venue. Sadly, we were denied.
I've heard several stories as to why, but the official reason
was we're fully booked. Those of
you who attended The Fair in October 2024 likely
(35:37):
saw the exhibit space. Multiple empty booths
and no sign of enthusiasm. It all
became much more clear when I learned a couple of the Washington Parish
Fair association members may have ties to Donna's
case. Then it really came together when a
source overheard a conversation. We were told
the space was "sold out," but in reality,
(35:58):
they just didn't want the most high profile murder in the Parish
to have visibility at the most attended event in
said Parish. I get that it's a family event,
which is why we made clear there would be nothing provocative.
But this type of sheepish backroom decision making
is why Washington Parish is the butt of every good old
boy corruption joke. Compared to the mishandling of
(36:18):
Donna's case, this is nothing. But when certain
people receive even a shred of perceived power in this
town, they can't help but flex it. That
mindset has infected every aspect of this community. Don't
get me wrong, I love this place. I love The
Fair. I have friends who are members of the Fair Association.
They're incredible people. But let's be real.
(36:39):
Donna deserved a presence at this event, and the
denial lit a fire under many of us. This wouldn't be
the last time the board of the Washington Parish Free Fair would
issue us a denial. More on that in a later
episode.
Boy, oh boy, it's a lot of voiceover in this episode.
(36:59):
Thanks for bearing with me. I've got a few more things to
share. I intended to lay out my theory
of what happened the night Donna was killed. Based on all my
interviews, the evidence we've obtained, Demmie's
notes, I was ready to present my theory.
However, as this podcast has released, a few things
have changed. People have come forward,
suspects have openly disparaged Donna and others on
(37:21):
Facebook, and some close to the investigation have even been
arrested for other offenses. I am not law
enforcement. All I can do is get the information out
there. So until I feel I have the full scope of this
case, I won't be sharing my theory. This is a very
fluid situation happening in real time. But if you've
been listening closely, you likely already know where I
(37:41):
stand. Many of you have asked, and yes, I have been
in touch with the Louisiana State Police throughout this
process. All I can say is those of you with
information about this case, those of you covering for your friends
and family, those of you lurking on this podcast and social
media choosing not to come forward, you will be
implicated just as much as the killer. Come
forward. Tell us what you know. Save yourself before
(38:04):
it's too late. Before we wrap up
episode eight and get to work on future update
episodes, I have one more thing to share.
As much as I wanted to make contact with Donna's daughter at the
beginning of this investigation, I never did. She was
a minor, and I was hopeful she would reach out when the time was right
for her. Shortly after the launch of this
podcast, just days after turning 18,
(38:26):
I received this text.
Hi Tucker, this is Ellie Arceneaux, Donna's
daughter. I've been waiting to contact you till I was
18. I have had a feeling, I wanted to say something since I
was in the middle of everything. Contact me at any
time because I need to finally feel my part has
been spoken.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (38:47):
I've wanted to have a say in all of this
and, like, been able to get my side
out because I feel as if, like, I
love my dad, I love my brother, but they
weren't there. They didn't experience it.
Half of the people that, like, say they were there
kind of were, like, friends that only came over every now and then
and whatever, but I was there two
(39:09):
weeks out of the month.
>> Tucker Simmons (39:10):
Do you remember what you and your mom did on
Saturday?
>> Ellie Arceneaux (39:14):
I think they had extended the fair that week. So I think we
went that night and
we were with Scott and then they got an
argument, so me and my mom left
and he was still there with, Tommy.
>> Tucker Simmons (39:29):
Hmm, well that doesn't add up to Scott story that he gave
investigators, so that's actually a really important piece of information.
>> Ellie Arceneaux (39:35):
He did not show up to that house that night, like, at
all. He's a lying piece of shit.
>> Tucker Simmons (40:19):
As I've always said, solving this case would be incredibly
difficult without access to the case file. Even without
it though, we've uncovered a massive amount of information,
details about the scene and interviews with me
that contradict interviews with investigators. Sources
with valuable information that make me question how many people were
involved have come forward since the release of this
podcast. I've promised update episodes and
(40:41):
they're coming. I'll need a few weeks to follow up on leads,
but rest assured, this is far from over.
Make sure you follow rate and review on Apple podcasts,
Spotify, or wherever you're listening. It's a huge help in spreading the word
about Donna's case. Then head over to
freezeframepodcast.com for behind the scenes details on
the investigation, and follow us on socials @freezeframepod for
(41:01):
exclusive content. Freeze Frame is a But Why
Media production. It's written and produced by me, Tucker
Simmons, editing and post production by Evan
Desaulnier, narration by Greg Gehringer
and Carrie Loren, and our original music is
Something Strange by Tabitha Meeks.
>> 'Something Strange' by Tabitha Meeks (41:30):
Something Strange,
Something Strange. In the air tonight.
You can't hide forever.
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