November 10, 2025 • 33 mins
In Part 2 of this multi-part docu-series, award winning host Kelly Jennings brings you the tragic story of Connie Lynn Warner who on August 24th 1992 disappeared from her home in Zachary, Louisiana just two days prior Hurricane Andrew making landfall in the bayou state.
Warner, a 41-year-old accountant, is believed to be Derrick Todd Lee’s (DTL) first victim. When her body was found a week later. Connie Warner had been so severely beaten that her skull was fractured leading to her death.
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
This is DTL Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.
For Media or Advertising Inquiries
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com
Timestamps
01:09 Hurricane Andrew Approches
06:17 Connie Warner Disappears
10:41 Investigation Ensues in Zachary, LA
16:45 Aftermath of the Storm
20:53 The Shocking Discovery
24:30 Connie Warner is Identified
30:53 The Cemetery
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #ConnieWarner #Serial
Warner, a 41-year-old accountant, is believed to be Derrick Todd Lee’s (DTL) first victim. When her body was found a week later. Connie Warner had been so severely beaten that her skull was fractured leading to her death.
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
This is DTL Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.
For Media or Advertising Inquiries
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com
Timestamps
01:09 Hurricane Andrew Approches
06:17 Connie Warner Disappears
10:41 Investigation Ensues in Zachary, LA
16:45 Aftermath of the Storm
20:53 The Shocking Discovery
24:30 Connie Warner is Identified
30:53 The Cemetery
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #ConnieWarner #Serial
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the Bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He was a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile, led
a double life that would unravel in a series of
murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and the
surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and murders
began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
(00:46):
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer, eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
depths of Derreck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
This is DTL.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
It was the hot summer of nineteen ninety two, and
the air was thick with humidity. Anyone who's ever been
to South Louisiana in summer can attest to the fact
that the air will almost choke you it's so muggy,
So nothing is better than being inside in the air
condition until the sun goes down, especially in the month
of August. August is also the worst month for hurricanes.
(01:32):
Hurricane season, as we know it runs from June first
to November thirtieth, with a peak of activity typically occurring
between August and October. The name storms of nineteen ninety
two season included Bonnie, Charlie, Danielle, Earl, and Francis. There
would be one more, in particular that would be remembered
for years.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
To come and for many reasons.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But before that storm would hit, it was gathering strength
half a world away from Zachary, Louisiana, a town fourteen
miles northwest of Baton Rouge with a small town field,
old men putting along in their trucks, and the town
hall only the size of a small McDonald's. Zachary is
a place where many people boast their heritage and the
fact they are a product of many generations gone by,
(02:15):
all deeply rooted within the town. It was August fourteenth,
nineteen ninety two, when a tropical wave emerged from the
west coast of Africa that would cause profound trouble for
the small town in just a few days. By August seventeenth,
this wave had become a hurricane formerly named Andrew, and
good morning, thanks for tuning in Andrew, here are hurricane
which continues to strengthen pressure now down to.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The residence of Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Brace themselves when the realization set in that Andrew was
now a Category five storm with winds up to one
hundred and sixty five miles an hour. Everyone was watching
this storm, including forty one year old Connie Lynn Warner.
Connie was divorced from her ex husband Ben and now
the single mother of a teenage daughter named Tracy, who
was her entire world. Tracy was a teen and the
(03:01):
weather report likely wasn't typing her priority list. But luckily
for her, she didn't have to. Her mama Connie was
always ten steps ahead of her. Connie was responsible, dependable,
and someone who would always take care of her daughter,
even if she was seventeen going on thirty. Connie was
a smart lady too. She always had a steady job
to support her baby girl. Matter of fact, years back,
(03:24):
she had worked a state job that would eventually let
her go for not having a degree. While Minnie would
kick the dirt and hang their head. Connie wasn't the one,
Oh I need a degree, okay. The only thing this
let down did was light a spark in her. Not
one to be easily stopped, she said checkmate and promptly
enrolled in college. She was proud to lion Up, as
(03:46):
they say, the mascot of her school of choice. She
may have been older than the average student at Southeastern
Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, but she didn't care. Matter
of fact, get out of my way, y'all. I have
a degree to earn, and that's a exactly what she did,
eventually obtaining her degree necessary for the job. She wanted
one that she could continue to provide financially for her Tracy,
(04:08):
and one that came with benefits. That's what mammas do.
We lion up and Tracy will. She was one proud
cub mom and her cap and gown holding her degree,
Tracy embracing her with a loving arm around her shoulder.
A picture is definitely worth a thousand words to memorialize
that moment. Connie did it for Tracy just as much
(04:30):
as she did it for herself, and the pride that
accompanied that moment was one of the greatest moments of
her life. She was a testament to her daughter that
you may get knocked down in life, but you can
always come back swinging. She continued to set an amazing
example of what a woman should be When she got
her job back with the state, now working for the
Louisiana Department of Health as an accountant. The citizens of
(04:53):
the state were better for it. Connie was an excellent
employee and someone that could always be counted on. Truth
it is that degree didn't make her a valuable asset.
She already was. It was just confirmed now on a
printed piece of paper. Not only was Connie driven, but
she was someone that exuded love and a welcoming spirit.
(05:14):
She was the person that people gravitated to when they
needed reassurance or a kind word. She was comforting and
she was understanding, and those qualities made her a great
mama too. Connie provided a welcoming and loving home for
her daughter. She purchased a modest, middle class home in
the Oak Shadow subdivision, where the houses average three bedroom,
(05:35):
two bath and fifteen hundred square feet. The streets of
the neighborhood all held names from the Bible, ones like Job, Leviticus, Saul,
and a manual. The neighborhood was a quiet one and
a place where they both could feel safe. And safety mattered,
especially at night for Connie. See she had very, very
poor eyesight, and as a result, she liked to be
(05:57):
home at night. Unable to see well enough to drive
in the dark. If it wasn't done by sundown, she
wouldn't be doing it until the next day. She didn't
want to hurt herself, her daughter, or God forbid, someone
else if an accident were to occur, so she took
on hobbies like sewing and cross stitching, one she could
do while seated comfortably on the couch while relaxing at home.
(06:18):
August twenty third, nineteen ninety two, was a typical Sunday,
but this time Connie was home alone. Tracy had asked
permission to spend the night with friends, which Connie allowed
so long as she checked in with her mom. Now,
this was the age before cell phones and life three
sixty tracking, so Tracy knew the drill Okay, Mama, I'll
call you, which she did. It was around nine pm
(06:40):
and Connie was cross stitching while watching some TV. She
had just begun a pattern that she thought was precious,
a young girl looking out of a window as she daydreams.
But the news it was full in weather. Hurricane Andrew
was barreling towards the coast, and people were urged to
prepare for it. It seems as though that Andrew's right
now is pointed towards the mouth of the Mersonby River.
(07:03):
Discussions continued about the Los Angeles Police Department. The four
officers acquitted of charges on beating Rodney King had now
been indicted on federal civil rights charges, and in sports,
Dennis Eckersley had become the first pitcher to record forty
saves in four different seasons. The TV hummed on as
Connie focused on her cross stitch when she heard something.
(07:25):
Was that a knock at the door or was that
a car door shutting? She decided to investigate. Maybe Tracy
had changed her mind and been dropped back off or
something that hot muggy night would drag on and the
following morning, Tracy called her mama as promised, but Connie
didn't answer.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
A bit later, Tracy called again.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
But no answer, And this was just beyond unusual for Connie,
so Tracy was worried, maybe my mama got sick or
something could have happened to her where she couldn't get
to the phone. So when unable to reach her, Tracy
called her grandfather and Connie's day taddy, Popaul Jack Brooks.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And he agreed to meet her at the house.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
When Papa Jack and Tracy arrived, they noted that Connie's
car was still in the driveway, so it seemed she
hadn't gone anywhere, and that was a bit of a relief.
They went in together, but immediately the house just didn't
seem right to Tracy. Some of the kitchen chairs were
pushed out of place. Walking back further into the house,
they called for Connie, but she didn't answer. Tracy and
(08:25):
Papua made it back to Connie's room, and before entering
the door, something was there that made their stomachs drop.
Connie's glasses were on the carpet. She would never put
her glasses on the carpet. If she dropped them, she
would have picked them up because she needed them to see.
I mean, maybe she would have set him on her
nightstand or possibly the bathroom counter, but not the floor.
(08:46):
They went through the open doorway and the sight of
the mattress was unsettling. It was pushed off the bed
frame as if someone had bumped into it, but hard,
and her clothing was dumped on the floor. It looked
like laundry, but she would have never dumped it on
the floor, a mix of sheets and hangers and clothing,
as well as some pumps near the chest of drawers
at the foot of the bed. Mama didn't leave her
(09:08):
room a mess like this. I mean, sure the home
was lived in, but not a mess like this. They searched,
and they called out, but Connie was not in the home.
The washer and dryer in the utility room was near
the back door, and upon further inspection, some blood droplets
were found on the utility room floor, as well as
the fact that the dryer it was pushed back a
(09:32):
jar and out of its normal position. So it was
now obvious that something had happened and that Connie was
gone as a result of it. Papaul Jack was upset
and he decided to call the police.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
In the meantime, though, he went.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
To check out her car and see if maybe he
could figure out what happened. From that, Connie's nineteen eighty
nine Chevy Cavalier was parked in the driveway and not
under the car port as usual. Papaul Jack walked around
it and looked through the window, and he could see
something on the back seat. So he got closer and
he peered in through that window. Is that vomit? Why
(10:06):
would there be vomit on the back seat? But he
also looked at the mileage on the vehicle, and while
he was no investigator, he knew instantly that his baby
girl's vehicle had been somewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
But this wasn't something.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
That police would have likely known or even been able
to figure out.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Only a daddy would know this.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Connie's daddy because she may have been forty one years old.
But that didn't mean he stopped being her daddy. He
still took care of her. The car hadn't gone too far,
but it had definitely been driven. He had just changed
the oil in the vehicle, and he knew what that
mileage was. When the police arrived and surrounded the home,
they declared it a crime scene, one of unknown crime exactly,
(10:49):
but a crime scene.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Nonetheless.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
At this point, Connie was a missing person likely to
have encountered some level of violence considering the drops of blood,
but it wasn't enough to say she wasn't alive, just
possibly taken against her will. Additional discoveries at the home
would be found that didn't make the situation look any
better either. A majority of this would be found outside
and near her vehicle. Connie was a white woman and
(11:13):
had waved a curly brown hair just above the shoulders.
Brown hair was what was found on the hood of
Connie's car, and the hair was consistent with hers, and
it looked to have been forcibly pulled out by the root.
Detectives also identified what they believed to be drag marks
across her car. They believed this because you could see
the lines in the dust on the vehicle, almost as
(11:34):
if someone were swiping at the car while moving around it.
The marks were very obvious and painted a sort of
picture in the mind of the detectives. The swipes and
the dust went across the passenger side door. They then
went over the hood in the direction of the driver's side,
and you can almost envision what this may have looked
(11:55):
like in your mind's eye, just as the detective was
trying to do to make it make sense his mind.
Popaul Jack's suspicions were confirmed. It was vomit on the
back seat. Not only was it on the back seat,
but it was also on the bumper of the vehicle.
She had vomited not only on the outside of the
vehicle but also on the inside, so one would wonder
(12:15):
why did she get in the car and then get
back out. Detectives were trying to understand this as well. Additionally,
three lavender buttons were found that looked as though they
had been ripped off. Tracy recognized those buttons too. They
were from a shirt that her mama wore often. A
broken piece of belt buckle was also found, and additional
blood on the floor in several rooms was found as well,
(12:38):
including Connie's bedroom. There was no forced entry though to
the home. Whoever came in was either let in or
let themselves in. This didn't seem to be a burglary either,
as nothing was missing except Connie's keys. Whoever came in
must have specifically come in for Connie. While it was
great to have found additional evidence, not finding Connie was
(13:00):
the most pressing issue. Creating a timeline, police were able
to place Connie at the home at nine thirty pm
the night before, but no one had seen or spoken
to her since the nine one one call was made
around ten thirty am the following morning, so they knew
whatever happened must have occurred between nine thirty pm Sunday
night and ten thirty am Monday morning. After all of
(13:24):
the evidence collection was completed and the home turned back
over to the family, it wasn't really a home anymore.
Connie's unfinished cross stitch still lay on the table in
the living room. The fans still spun quietly that this
wasn't Connie and Tracy's home. It was a house, a
crime scene, possibly the place of a brutal beating, but
(13:45):
it would never be home again. Tracy and her parents
would spend three days wondering, stressing, and worrying themselves sick
as to where Connie was. Did she need medical care?
Was she injured? Of course, she was injured. We saw blood. No,
maybe it wasn't hers. Yeah, that's it. It wasn't hers.
(14:07):
Maybe she was helping someone else in their car, but
that didn't make sense either.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
She would call.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
If she was helping someone. She's got to be in danger.
Was she crying? Was she scared? Was she calling out
for help? Oh my god, what do we do? They
all just looked at each other helpless. Did someone have
her and if they did, why were they feeding her?
Were they keeping her cool from this blistering heat. All
(14:37):
of these questions remained unanswered, and it was sick to
think of the what ifs. And Tracy, she was in shock.
For lack of a better word, can you imagine your
mama just disappearing?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
She didn't want to.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Talk, or eat, or watch TV or even see her friends.
Tracy wanted her mama, her safe person, her source of
uncon additional love and warmth for the soul. While they
wondered where she could be and who could do this,
the rest.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Of the world just carried on. It was as if
this just didn't matter.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
The cars drove by, the birds chirped, and the mail
was still delivered. Connie's family wanted to scream out loud,
everybody just stop. How can you go on like this?
Our world is falling apart. Don't you see? My mom
is out there somewhere. Everyone help. But the reality, the
reality we all have known at some point in time
(15:33):
in grief, is that the world keeps spinning. Even in
the face of immense tragedy and sorrow. The community was
certainly frightened by the thought of someone being missing with
possible foul play, but they also had their eyes now
on Hurricane Andrew more than ever. He was coming, no doubt,
and they knew it. The predictions also said this was
(15:53):
going to be really, really bad. Andrew would slam into
the coast of Florida before sweeping his way across sen
Louisiana on August twenty sixth By now, he had weakened
to a Category three, but a ravenous one. The rain poured,
while the lightning and the thunder struck. The winds beyond
imagination blew, and if you looked out the window, you
(16:15):
wouldn't believe the power of Mother Nature. Trampolines blowing over fences,
trees snapping, and unsecured trash cans blowing down the streets.
Andrew to this day remains the third most powerful storm
to ever strike the United States. He was relentless, indiscriminate,
and he destroyed everything in his path. But no matter
(16:38):
what property was lost or destroyed, Connie's family only cared
to recover her and hopefully alive. The whole damn neighborhood
could blow down around them, but if Connie walked back up, their.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
World would be a happy one.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
There would be a slight pause put on the investigation
after Andrew passed through areas in south central Louisiana received
up to nearly twelve inches of rain fall over a
four day period. Tornadoes, including an F three tornado, formed
in Laplace. Across the state. Andrew caused seven deaths with
an estimated one billion dollars in damages. So after regrouping
(17:14):
within just a few days, the investigation was back on.
Detectives spoke to many people to see what they may
know and might possibly be able to add or contribute
in terms of leeds to Connie's whereabouts. Tracy was interviewed extensively,
but she was ruled out, as were Connie's parents. Tracy's
boyfriend at the time, Andre Burgess, was also questioned. They
(17:35):
were high school sweethearts and he was the one who
had picked up Tracy for Elishu's orientation weekend the night
Connie went missing. He told investigators that he had no
idea what happened, but he had seen a black man
a few times in the area who seemed focused on
Tracy's home and it bothered him. It bothered him so
(17:55):
much that he even spoke to the man. It was
sort of a checking him type of way, like what's
up that was when he was last at the house.
This was kind of like saying I see you without
saying I see you. Upon speaking, the man mumbled some
curse words at him, and then he simply walked away.
While Andre was telling this to the police, they felt
(18:16):
like this may be more of a story to keep
the eyes off of himself. According to Andrea, police even
directly pointed the finger at him, eventually saying something to
the effect of, it looks like you're just trying to
pin this on someone else.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
We think you did this.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
While this was likely a police tactic to apply some
pressure and to see if someone cracks, Andre wasn't going
to crack. There was nothing to crack, but police had
a vested interest in prodding him because, as teenagers often do,
he and Tracy at times bent the rules, rules that
Connie had in place for them. So when the two
were interrogated, Tracy and Andre's stories of their recent whereabouts, well,
(18:53):
they didn't align. Unbeknownst to police, it wasn't because they
were hiding something about Connie. It was because they weren't
exactly where they had said they would be at times,
like maybe at an LSUE party on campus versus at
a friend's house as.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Mom may have thought.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
But any lie or discrepancy in this situation would be
scrutinized and magnified. In situations like this, it's statistically often
that someone closely related to, or someone often in contact
with the victim that's found to be responsible for a
crime committed against a person. So the police weren't out
of line. They were just doing their job. And if
(19:31):
Connie were upset with the teen boyfriend of her daughter,
it's not out of the realm of possibility that that
could have caused friction where a stupid love struck teen
may try and possibly take revenge against her. But this
wasn't the case, and he would eventually be cleared. Even
Connie's ex husband, Tracy's dad, was questioned. Divorce can cause
(19:52):
even the best of people to lose control. Was he
mad about child support or possibly angry that Connie was
dating someone new? All of this would have to be investigated.
He was extensively interviewed. He was questioned over and over
but cleared of anything to do with this case as well.
But police would uncover something that leaned towards Andre's claims
(20:13):
of a stranger, an unknown black man lurking around them
as likely true. A police report was uncovered that Connie
had made just days before she went missing. The report
was no joke either, It was of a possible peeping tom.
She basically stated that she had seen someone looking in windows,
but nothing ever came of it. Police had ridden the
(20:35):
report and they had looked around, but no suspect was
ever found. By now, the leads were really starting to
dry up. And statistically, everyone knows that the first twenty
four hours are crucial in any investigation, and by hour
seventy two the chances of solving a major crime decreases dramatically.
But this was a missing person, not a murder. In
(20:57):
missing person cases, specifically of missing adults, those are usually
solved within a week to the tune of eighty.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Five percent sold.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
But three days would pass, and then a week, and
in total ten days would pass before anything huge would happen.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
But that huge development wasn't what police were hoping for.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
A trucker in Baton Rouge, just sixteen miles from Connie's home.
Pulled into a parking lot near Pittsburgh Avenue and Sorrel Street,
and he parked. These streets are near the Capitol Lake downtown.
This parking lot was one where truckers could leave their
trailers for whatever reason, and it's called Capitol Lake by
the Way because it's near the Capitol Building as well
(21:40):
as the area of the Governor's mansion. It's an area
full of a combination of industrial and governmental buildings. The
trucker had parked and was getting out when something in
the distance caught his eye. He couldn't make it out,
but something was weird about it, so he decided to
go and check it out. He exited his truck and
as he got close, he slowed up a bit.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Is that wait?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He stepped up cautiously, and he leaned in and he
realized the horror that he had just stumbled upon. This
was a badly decomposed body that he was standing just
feet in front of. So shocked and outright horrified, he
ran to a phone and.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
He called police.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Detectives arrived and sure enough, there was a body laying there,
and it was in terrible condition. Hurricane Andrew had ravaged
the geography for days, and it would seem that that
same horrendous weather had also poured on this body. Not
to be cold, but detectives knew that this weather likely
erased any forensic DNA that may aid in determining who
(22:48):
this was and what could have happened. While unrecognizable, a
few things were certain. This body was of a white female.
CSI would process the body unseen and then they would
collect it for an autopsy. Obviously, it was fresh in
the minds of the Zachary community that Connie had yet
to be found, but this was in another city, and
(23:09):
people are unfortunately found dead all the time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
specifically the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans continued
to keep the state amongst one of the most deadly
in America. Drugs, poverty, and gangs who lack the value
of life leading the causes of these murders. When the
medical examiner completed the autopsy, dental impressions were taken for
(23:32):
comparison of the missing.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Women in the area.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
The finding of the autopsy of this woman was that
she had suffered an absolutely tragic and brutal beating. There
was extensive head trauma, and it was insanely violent. This
wasn't a fistfight or a struggle. This was a murder
in every sense of the word. Her skull was fractured
and it had a massive indentation, likely caused by something
(23:57):
similar to a hammer. She had been subject to a
merciless beating, but due to the weather conditions of the hurricane,
combined with the ten days in the August heat, she
wasn't in good enough condition for detailed specifics. That same
weather had in fact caused a forensic nightmare, and as expected,
no DNA and no fingerprints could be found in or
(24:19):
on the body.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Her cause of death.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Was ruled a homicide, basically stated and unnatural death. The
dental records at this point would take center stage. When
the cadaver's impressions were compared to Connie's known dental records,
it was able to be confirmed that the body was
in fact that a forty one year old single mother,
Connie Lynne Warner. Breaking the news to the family was
(24:45):
gut wrenching. No one wants to be the face behind
that memory for a teenage girl, but it had.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
To be done.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Once the finality of Connie being gone forever was established.
Police really dug in and tried to bring this family
some closure, But the reality is there is no closure.
When your mama is brutally murdered, you don't just move on.
You are perpetually in the reality of what has happened.
(25:14):
Your feet may take steps, and your body may go
through the motions, but you are never the same. You
move forward, but you never move on, like in a
daze or a dream, more like a nightmare that never ends.
Connie Lynn Warner would be laid to rest in a
zaleuar Rest cemetery. Her final resting place would be very
(25:35):
close to the house she had made a home just
days prior. For reference, someone with a good arm could
possibly throw a baseball from Connie's grave and have it
come to a final rest in her yard. Poor Tracy
was now a motherless teen who felt her life had
been upended beyond repair. There was nothing to say worth saying.
(25:57):
There was nothing to feel beyond grief, which wasn't just
an emotion but almost physical pain, And no matter how
much she cried, it never changed a thing. She would
never see her precious Mama again, never feel her loving
embrace nor the comfort her mere presence brought.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
But why who would do this?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Even though Connie had no known enemies, someone had been
lurking in the dark and chose her. Someone decided Connie's
fate for her. This animal had decided that her life
didn't matter and that the hunt, the attack, the fight,
and the ultimate killing.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Of her was fun.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
He could show his power through brutality, his control through fear,
and ultimately played god with her life, if only for
one night.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
The reality was this.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Connie sat in her home that faithful night and was crosstitching.
Whether she heard a noise, saw something, or her to
knock at the door is up for speculation.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
But what is not are these facts.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
An unknown man made his way inside of her home
without force, either asking to use the phone or maybe
just barging in once the door was unlocked. Once inside,
he attacked Connie, and she fought with everything inside of
her to save her own life. The kitchen chairs shoved
out of the way as the fight progressed. She ran
backwards into her home, back towards her bedroom, losing her
(27:29):
glasses in the struggle. As she fought for her life
and unable to see well, but knowing that she was
in trouble. Regardless, Connie still had a lot of fight
left in her. Her adrenaline was surging as she used
every part of her body to protect herself from the
man that was raining down blows with brutal force upon her.
They fought in her room, him eventually pushing her into
(27:51):
the bed hard enough to shove the mattress off the frame,
and he continued to bash on her, and she was
becoming weaker and weaker with every blow. She refused to
give up. He drug her back down the hallway towards
the door, but she knew she didn't want to leave,
and she didn't want to leave with him. As they
passed the washer and dryer, she grabbed onto it with
(28:12):
such might that it actually turned it out of place
as she was drug past it. But the thing is,
the attacker was much stronger and uninjured, continually fueled by
rage and pure evil. The more she thought, the more
excited and brutal he became. Connie was dripping blood, likely
(28:33):
from her nose or her mouth, which fell to the floor,
leaving a drip pattern. As he drug her out of
that back door, when they made it to her car, she.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Wasn't giving up.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
The drag marks and the dust on the car paint
a picture of a woman grasping at anything she could
use to stop from being taken. Her arms pawed at
the hood and around the side of the vehicle were
at some point another unnatural blow to her head incapacitated her.
Such an injury could cause brain damage and consequently vomiting,
(29:06):
which would spray the bumper of her car as she
was drug and would also be found in the back
seat where.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
She was shoved.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
The struggle lasted a bit longer, enough for her shirt
buttons to be ripped off and slide underneath her before
she vomited again. Exhausted and now mortally wounded, her assailant
then got in the car and used the keys he
had stolen from inside to start it. He put the
car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and drove
(29:35):
off with Connie laying in the back seat, as if
he had every right to do whatever he wanted with her.
He owned her now in his mind. It's believed that
Connie was dead before the car ever left the neighborhood.
He drove sixteen miles to an industrial area he knew
wouldn't be busy on a Sunday night, and he parked
(29:55):
in that parking lot. He opened the door under the moonlight,
and he pulled old Connie's lifeless body from the back seat,
dumping her where he stood, and he looked over her.
Satisfied with his kill, He then drove back to Connie's
house and parked a car in the driveway before exiting,
and then walked away, keeping her keys though as a
(30:18):
memento and a.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Trophy for his prized kill.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Hurricane Andrew then slammed the area and the entire time Connie,
Tracy's precious mother lay outside in those elements, and then
ten days later she was recovered. Connie's killer was still
on the loose, and police now nune the wiser on
who he was. What they hadn't yet realized was that
(30:44):
only yards from Connie's home, just through the tree line,
the Azalure Rest Cemetery would play more of a role
in this case than just her final resting place. Cemeteries
are built not just for the dead, but for the
living to have a place to visit them, and unfortunately
for another time, Connie's final resting place is about to
become one that she'll never forget. Coming up on the
(31:10):
next episode of DTL. After the tragic and brutal murder
of Connie Warner, the town of Zachary, Louisiana was still
reeling over who had killed this single mother. As the
(31:36):
family made their way inside the home, setting down their
items and Ron dropping his keys on the counter, he
turned the corner to his living room and there in
an instant, he was jolted back with fear, horrified to
realize they weren't alone. An absolute stranger was in his
house with him and his precious family. Ron could immediately
(32:02):
tell that this was an adult, black male, and when
they noticed each other, the man was standing right in
the doorway of Ron's son's bedroom. So as the two
thought that they were alone, they shared a kiss. But
the reality is that they weren't alone. A pair of
eyes had been on them the entire time. Those eyes
(32:23):
lurked in the dark, hidden from view, but careful to
watch the teens every move. Once the teens were paying
more attention to each other than their surroundings, those eyes,
hiding from within the nearby woodline, started to make their
way towards the teens. And as the rain fell and
the darkness was still, the teens had no clue. Those
eyes were on a man hell bent on hurting them
(32:45):
and hopefully killing them before the night was over. He
was on the hunt, and the teens, unknowingly had turned
right into his hunting grounds. Sure, the neighborhood he usually
terrorized was right through the tree line, but this this
was different. They drove straight into his path without warning.
He approached the vehicle, and he ripped open the back door.
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the Bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He was a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile, led
a double life that would unravel in a series of
murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and the
surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and murders
began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
(00:46):
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer, eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
depths of Derreck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
This is DTL.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
It was the hot summer of nineteen ninety two, and
the air was thick with humidity. Anyone who's ever been
to South Louisiana in summer can attest to the fact
that the air will almost choke you it's so muggy,
So nothing is better than being inside in the air
condition until the sun goes down, especially in the month
of August. August is also the worst month for hurricanes.
(01:32):
Hurricane season, as we know it runs from June first
to November thirtieth, with a peak of activity typically occurring
between August and October. The name storms of nineteen ninety
two season included Bonnie, Charlie, Danielle, Earl, and Francis. There
would be one more, in particular that would be remembered
for years.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
To come and for many reasons.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
But before that storm would hit, it was gathering strength
half a world away from Zachary, Louisiana, a town fourteen
miles northwest of Baton Rouge with a small town field,
old men putting along in their trucks, and the town
hall only the size of a small McDonald's. Zachary is
a place where many people boast their heritage and the
fact they are a product of many generations gone by,
(02:15):
all deeply rooted within the town. It was August fourteenth,
nineteen ninety two, when a tropical wave emerged from the
west coast of Africa that would cause profound trouble for
the small town in just a few days. By August seventeenth,
this wave had become a hurricane formerly named Andrew, and
good morning, thanks for tuning in Andrew, here are hurricane
which continues to strengthen pressure now down to.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The residence of Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Brace themselves when the realization set in that Andrew was
now a Category five storm with winds up to one
hundred and sixty five miles an hour. Everyone was watching
this storm, including forty one year old Connie Lynn Warner.
Connie was divorced from her ex husband Ben and now
the single mother of a teenage daughter named Tracy, who
was her entire world. Tracy was a teen and the
(03:01):
weather report likely wasn't typing her priority list. But luckily
for her, she didn't have to. Her mama Connie was
always ten steps ahead of her. Connie was responsible, dependable,
and someone who would always take care of her daughter,
even if she was seventeen going on thirty. Connie was
a smart lady too. She always had a steady job
to support her baby girl. Matter of fact, years back,
(03:24):
she had worked a state job that would eventually let
her go for not having a degree. While Minnie would
kick the dirt and hang their head. Connie wasn't the one,
Oh I need a degree, okay. The only thing this
let down did was light a spark in her. Not
one to be easily stopped, she said checkmate and promptly
enrolled in college. She was proud to lion Up, as
(03:46):
they say, the mascot of her school of choice. She
may have been older than the average student at Southeastern
Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, but she didn't care. Matter
of fact, get out of my way, y'all. I have
a degree to earn, and that's a exactly what she did,
eventually obtaining her degree necessary for the job. She wanted
one that she could continue to provide financially for her Tracy,
(04:08):
and one that came with benefits. That's what mammas do.
We lion up and Tracy will. She was one proud
cub mom and her cap and gown holding her degree,
Tracy embracing her with a loving arm around her shoulder.
A picture is definitely worth a thousand words to memorialize
that moment. Connie did it for Tracy just as much
(04:30):
as she did it for herself, and the pride that
accompanied that moment was one of the greatest moments of
her life. She was a testament to her daughter that
you may get knocked down in life, but you can
always come back swinging. She continued to set an amazing
example of what a woman should be When she got
her job back with the state, now working for the
Louisiana Department of Health as an accountant. The citizens of
(04:53):
the state were better for it. Connie was an excellent
employee and someone that could always be counted on. Truth
it is that degree didn't make her a valuable asset.
She already was. It was just confirmed now on a
printed piece of paper. Not only was Connie driven, but
she was someone that exuded love and a welcoming spirit.
(05:14):
She was the person that people gravitated to when they
needed reassurance or a kind word. She was comforting and
she was understanding, and those qualities made her a great
mama too. Connie provided a welcoming and loving home for
her daughter. She purchased a modest, middle class home in
the Oak Shadow subdivision, where the houses average three bedroom,
(05:35):
two bath and fifteen hundred square feet. The streets of
the neighborhood all held names from the Bible, ones like Job, Leviticus, Saul,
and a manual. The neighborhood was a quiet one and
a place where they both could feel safe. And safety mattered,
especially at night for Connie. See she had very, very
poor eyesight, and as a result, she liked to be
(05:57):
home at night. Unable to see well enough to drive
in the dark. If it wasn't done by sundown, she
wouldn't be doing it until the next day. She didn't
want to hurt herself, her daughter, or God forbid, someone
else if an accident were to occur, so she took
on hobbies like sewing and cross stitching, one she could
do while seated comfortably on the couch while relaxing at home.
(06:18):
August twenty third, nineteen ninety two, was a typical Sunday,
but this time Connie was home alone. Tracy had asked
permission to spend the night with friends, which Connie allowed
so long as she checked in with her mom. Now,
this was the age before cell phones and life three
sixty tracking, so Tracy knew the drill Okay, Mama, I'll
call you, which she did. It was around nine pm
(06:40):
and Connie was cross stitching while watching some TV. She
had just begun a pattern that she thought was precious,
a young girl looking out of a window as she daydreams.
But the news it was full in weather. Hurricane Andrew
was barreling towards the coast, and people were urged to
prepare for it. It seems as though that Andrew's right
now is pointed towards the mouth of the Mersonby River.
(07:03):
Discussions continued about the Los Angeles Police Department. The four
officers acquitted of charges on beating Rodney King had now
been indicted on federal civil rights charges, and in sports,
Dennis Eckersley had become the first pitcher to record forty
saves in four different seasons. The TV hummed on as
Connie focused on her cross stitch when she heard something.
(07:25):
Was that a knock at the door or was that
a car door shutting? She decided to investigate. Maybe Tracy
had changed her mind and been dropped back off or
something that hot muggy night would drag on and the
following morning, Tracy called her mama as promised, but Connie
didn't answer.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
A bit later, Tracy called again.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
But no answer, And this was just beyond unusual for Connie,
so Tracy was worried, maybe my mama got sick or
something could have happened to her where she couldn't get
to the phone. So when unable to reach her, Tracy
called her grandfather and Connie's day taddy, Popaul Jack Brooks.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And he agreed to meet her at the house.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
When Papa Jack and Tracy arrived, they noted that Connie's
car was still in the driveway, so it seemed she
hadn't gone anywhere, and that was a bit of a relief.
They went in together, but immediately the house just didn't
seem right to Tracy. Some of the kitchen chairs were
pushed out of place. Walking back further into the house,
they called for Connie, but she didn't answer. Tracy and
(08:25):
Papua made it back to Connie's room, and before entering
the door, something was there that made their stomachs drop.
Connie's glasses were on the carpet. She would never put
her glasses on the carpet. If she dropped them, she
would have picked them up because she needed them to see.
I mean, maybe she would have set him on her
nightstand or possibly the bathroom counter, but not the floor.
(08:46):
They went through the open doorway and the sight of
the mattress was unsettling. It was pushed off the bed
frame as if someone had bumped into it, but hard,
and her clothing was dumped on the floor. It looked
like laundry, but she would have never dumped it on
the floor, a mix of sheets and hangers and clothing,
as well as some pumps near the chest of drawers
at the foot of the bed. Mama didn't leave her
(09:08):
room a mess like this. I mean, sure the home
was lived in, but not a mess like this. They searched,
and they called out, but Connie was not in the home.
The washer and dryer in the utility room was near
the back door, and upon further inspection, some blood droplets
were found on the utility room floor, as well as
the fact that the dryer it was pushed back a
(09:32):
jar and out of its normal position. So it was
now obvious that something had happened and that Connie was
gone as a result of it. Papaul Jack was upset
and he decided to call the police.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
In the meantime, though, he went.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
To check out her car and see if maybe he
could figure out what happened. From that, Connie's nineteen eighty
nine Chevy Cavalier was parked in the driveway and not
under the car port as usual. Papaul Jack walked around
it and looked through the window, and he could see
something on the back seat. So he got closer and
he peered in through that window. Is that vomit? Why
(10:06):
would there be vomit on the back seat? But he
also looked at the mileage on the vehicle, and while
he was no investigator, he knew instantly that his baby
girl's vehicle had been somewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
But this wasn't something.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
That police would have likely known or even been able
to figure out.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Only a daddy would know this.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Connie's daddy because she may have been forty one years old.
But that didn't mean he stopped being her daddy. He
still took care of her. The car hadn't gone too far,
but it had definitely been driven. He had just changed
the oil in the vehicle, and he knew what that
mileage was. When the police arrived and surrounded the home,
they declared it a crime scene, one of unknown crime exactly,
(10:49):
but a crime scene.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Nonetheless.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
At this point, Connie was a missing person likely to
have encountered some level of violence considering the drops of blood,
but it wasn't enough to say she wasn't alive, just
possibly taken against her will. Additional discoveries at the home
would be found that didn't make the situation look any
better either. A majority of this would be found outside
and near her vehicle. Connie was a white woman and
(11:13):
had waved a curly brown hair just above the shoulders.
Brown hair was what was found on the hood of
Connie's car, and the hair was consistent with hers, and
it looked to have been forcibly pulled out by the root.
Detectives also identified what they believed to be drag marks
across her car. They believed this because you could see
the lines in the dust on the vehicle, almost as
(11:34):
if someone were swiping at the car while moving around it.
The marks were very obvious and painted a sort of
picture in the mind of the detectives. The swipes and
the dust went across the passenger side door. They then
went over the hood in the direction of the driver's side,
and you can almost envision what this may have looked
(11:55):
like in your mind's eye, just as the detective was
trying to do to make it make sense his mind.
Popaul Jack's suspicions were confirmed. It was vomit on the
back seat. Not only was it on the back seat,
but it was also on the bumper of the vehicle.
She had vomited not only on the outside of the
vehicle but also on the inside, so one would wonder
(12:15):
why did she get in the car and then get
back out. Detectives were trying to understand this as well. Additionally,
three lavender buttons were found that looked as though they
had been ripped off. Tracy recognized those buttons too. They
were from a shirt that her mama wore often. A
broken piece of belt buckle was also found, and additional
blood on the floor in several rooms was found as well,
(12:38):
including Connie's bedroom. There was no forced entry though to
the home. Whoever came in was either let in or
let themselves in. This didn't seem to be a burglary either,
as nothing was missing except Connie's keys. Whoever came in
must have specifically come in for Connie. While it was
great to have found additional evidence, not finding Connie was
(13:00):
the most pressing issue. Creating a timeline, police were able
to place Connie at the home at nine thirty pm
the night before, but no one had seen or spoken
to her since the nine one one call was made
around ten thirty am the following morning, so they knew
whatever happened must have occurred between nine thirty pm Sunday
night and ten thirty am Monday morning. After all of
(13:24):
the evidence collection was completed and the home turned back
over to the family, it wasn't really a home anymore.
Connie's unfinished cross stitch still lay on the table in
the living room. The fans still spun quietly that this
wasn't Connie and Tracy's home. It was a house, a
crime scene, possibly the place of a brutal beating, but
(13:45):
it would never be home again. Tracy and her parents
would spend three days wondering, stressing, and worrying themselves sick
as to where Connie was. Did she need medical care?
Was she injured? Of course, she was injured. We saw blood. No,
maybe it wasn't hers. Yeah, that's it. It wasn't hers.
(14:07):
Maybe she was helping someone else in their car, but
that didn't make sense either.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
She would call.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
If she was helping someone. She's got to be in danger.
Was she crying? Was she scared? Was she calling out
for help? Oh my god, what do we do? They
all just looked at each other helpless. Did someone have
her and if they did, why were they feeding her?
Were they keeping her cool from this blistering heat. All
(14:37):
of these questions remained unanswered, and it was sick to
think of the what ifs. And Tracy, she was in shock.
For lack of a better word, can you imagine your
mama just disappearing?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
She didn't want to.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Talk, or eat, or watch TV or even see her friends.
Tracy wanted her mama, her safe person, her source of
uncon additional love and warmth for the soul. While they
wondered where she could be and who could do this,
the rest.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Of the world just carried on. It was as if
this just didn't matter.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
The cars drove by, the birds chirped, and the mail
was still delivered. Connie's family wanted to scream out loud,
everybody just stop. How can you go on like this?
Our world is falling apart. Don't you see? My mom
is out there somewhere. Everyone help. But the reality, the
reality we all have known at some point in time
(15:33):
in grief, is that the world keeps spinning. Even in
the face of immense tragedy and sorrow. The community was
certainly frightened by the thought of someone being missing with
possible foul play, but they also had their eyes now
on Hurricane Andrew more than ever. He was coming, no doubt,
and they knew it. The predictions also said this was
(15:53):
going to be really, really bad. Andrew would slam into
the coast of Florida before sweeping his way across sen
Louisiana on August twenty sixth By now, he had weakened
to a Category three, but a ravenous one. The rain poured,
while the lightning and the thunder struck. The winds beyond
imagination blew, and if you looked out the window, you
(16:15):
wouldn't believe the power of Mother Nature. Trampolines blowing over fences,
trees snapping, and unsecured trash cans blowing down the streets.
Andrew to this day remains the third most powerful storm
to ever strike the United States. He was relentless, indiscriminate,
and he destroyed everything in his path. But no matter
(16:38):
what property was lost or destroyed, Connie's family only cared
to recover her and hopefully alive. The whole damn neighborhood
could blow down around them, but if Connie walked back up, their.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
World would be a happy one.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
There would be a slight pause put on the investigation
after Andrew passed through areas in south central Louisiana received
up to nearly twelve inches of rain fall over a
four day period. Tornadoes, including an F three tornado, formed
in Laplace. Across the state. Andrew caused seven deaths with
an estimated one billion dollars in damages. So after regrouping
(17:14):
within just a few days, the investigation was back on.
Detectives spoke to many people to see what they may
know and might possibly be able to add or contribute
in terms of leeds to Connie's whereabouts. Tracy was interviewed extensively,
but she was ruled out, as were Connie's parents. Tracy's
boyfriend at the time, Andre Burgess, was also questioned. They
(17:35):
were high school sweethearts and he was the one who
had picked up Tracy for Elishu's orientation weekend the night
Connie went missing. He told investigators that he had no
idea what happened, but he had seen a black man
a few times in the area who seemed focused on
Tracy's home and it bothered him. It bothered him so
(17:55):
much that he even spoke to the man. It was
sort of a checking him type of way, like what's
up that was when he was last at the house.
This was kind of like saying I see you without
saying I see you. Upon speaking, the man mumbled some
curse words at him, and then he simply walked away.
While Andre was telling this to the police, they felt
(18:16):
like this may be more of a story to keep
the eyes off of himself. According to Andrea, police even
directly pointed the finger at him, eventually saying something to
the effect of, it looks like you're just trying to
pin this on someone else.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
We think you did this.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
While this was likely a police tactic to apply some
pressure and to see if someone cracks, Andre wasn't going
to crack. There was nothing to crack, but police had
a vested interest in prodding him because, as teenagers often do,
he and Tracy at times bent the rules, rules that
Connie had in place for them. So when the two
were interrogated, Tracy and Andre's stories of their recent whereabouts, well,
(18:53):
they didn't align. Unbeknownst to police, it wasn't because they
were hiding something about Connie. It was because they weren't
exactly where they had said they would be at times,
like maybe at an LSUE party on campus versus at
a friend's house as.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Mom may have thought.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
But any lie or discrepancy in this situation would be
scrutinized and magnified. In situations like this, it's statistically often
that someone closely related to, or someone often in contact
with the victim that's found to be responsible for a
crime committed against a person. So the police weren't out
of line. They were just doing their job. And if
(19:31):
Connie were upset with the teen boyfriend of her daughter,
it's not out of the realm of possibility that that
could have caused friction where a stupid love struck teen
may try and possibly take revenge against her. But this
wasn't the case, and he would eventually be cleared. Even
Connie's ex husband, Tracy's dad, was questioned. Divorce can cause
(19:52):
even the best of people to lose control. Was he
mad about child support or possibly angry that Connie was
dating someone new? All of this would have to be investigated.
He was extensively interviewed. He was questioned over and over
but cleared of anything to do with this case as well.
But police would uncover something that leaned towards Andre's claims
(20:13):
of a stranger, an unknown black man lurking around them
as likely true. A police report was uncovered that Connie
had made just days before she went missing. The report
was no joke either, It was of a possible peeping tom.
She basically stated that she had seen someone looking in windows,
but nothing ever came of it. Police had ridden the
(20:35):
report and they had looked around, but no suspect was
ever found. By now, the leads were really starting to
dry up. And statistically, everyone knows that the first twenty
four hours are crucial in any investigation, and by hour
seventy two the chances of solving a major crime decreases dramatically.
But this was a missing person, not a murder. In
(20:57):
missing person cases, specifically of missing adults, those are usually
solved within a week to the tune of eighty.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Five percent sold.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
But three days would pass, and then a week, and
in total ten days would pass before anything huge would happen.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
But that huge development wasn't what police were hoping for.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
A trucker in Baton Rouge, just sixteen miles from Connie's home.
Pulled into a parking lot near Pittsburgh Avenue and Sorrel Street,
and he parked. These streets are near the Capitol Lake downtown.
This parking lot was one where truckers could leave their
trailers for whatever reason, and it's called Capitol Lake by
the Way because it's near the Capitol Building as well
(21:40):
as the area of the Governor's mansion. It's an area
full of a combination of industrial and governmental buildings. The
trucker had parked and was getting out when something in
the distance caught his eye. He couldn't make it out,
but something was weird about it, so he decided to
go and check it out. He exited his truck and
as he got close, he slowed up a bit.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Is that wait?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He stepped up cautiously, and he leaned in and he
realized the horror that he had just stumbled upon. This
was a badly decomposed body that he was standing just
feet in front of. So shocked and outright horrified, he
ran to a phone and.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
He called police.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Detectives arrived and sure enough, there was a body laying there,
and it was in terrible condition. Hurricane Andrew had ravaged
the geography for days, and it would seem that that
same horrendous weather had also poured on this body. Not
to be cold, but detectives knew that this weather likely
erased any forensic DNA that may aid in determining who
(22:48):
this was and what could have happened. While unrecognizable, a
few things were certain. This body was of a white female.
CSI would process the body unseen and then they would
collect it for an autopsy. Obviously, it was fresh in
the minds of the Zachary community that Connie had yet
to be found, but this was in another city, and
(23:09):
people are unfortunately found dead all the time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
specifically the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans continued
to keep the state amongst one of the most deadly
in America. Drugs, poverty, and gangs who lack the value
of life leading the causes of these murders. When the
medical examiner completed the autopsy, dental impressions were taken for
(23:32):
comparison of the missing.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Women in the area.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
The finding of the autopsy of this woman was that
she had suffered an absolutely tragic and brutal beating. There
was extensive head trauma, and it was insanely violent. This
wasn't a fistfight or a struggle. This was a murder
in every sense of the word. Her skull was fractured
and it had a massive indentation, likely caused by something
(23:57):
similar to a hammer. She had been subject to a
merciless beating, but due to the weather conditions of the hurricane,
combined with the ten days in the August heat, she
wasn't in good enough condition for detailed specifics. That same
weather had in fact caused a forensic nightmare, and as expected,
no DNA and no fingerprints could be found in or
(24:19):
on the body.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Her cause of death.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Was ruled a homicide, basically stated and unnatural death. The
dental records at this point would take center stage. When
the cadaver's impressions were compared to Connie's known dental records,
it was able to be confirmed that the body was
in fact that a forty one year old single mother,
Connie Lynne Warner. Breaking the news to the family was
(24:45):
gut wrenching. No one wants to be the face behind
that memory for a teenage girl, but it had.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
To be done.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Once the finality of Connie being gone forever was established.
Police really dug in and tried to bring this family
some closure, But the reality is there is no closure.
When your mama is brutally murdered, you don't just move on.
You are perpetually in the reality of what has happened.
(25:14):
Your feet may take steps, and your body may go
through the motions, but you are never the same. You
move forward, but you never move on, like in a
daze or a dream, more like a nightmare that never ends.
Connie Lynn Warner would be laid to rest in a
zaleuar Rest cemetery. Her final resting place would be very
(25:35):
close to the house she had made a home just
days prior. For reference, someone with a good arm could
possibly throw a baseball from Connie's grave and have it
come to a final rest in her yard. Poor Tracy
was now a motherless teen who felt her life had
been upended beyond repair. There was nothing to say worth saying.
(25:57):
There was nothing to feel beyond grief, which wasn't just
an emotion but almost physical pain, And no matter how
much she cried, it never changed a thing. She would
never see her precious Mama again, never feel her loving
embrace nor the comfort her mere presence brought.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
But why who would do this?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Even though Connie had no known enemies, someone had been
lurking in the dark and chose her. Someone decided Connie's
fate for her. This animal had decided that her life
didn't matter and that the hunt, the attack, the fight,
and the ultimate killing.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Of her was fun.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
He could show his power through brutality, his control through fear,
and ultimately played god with her life, if only for
one night.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
The reality was this.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Connie sat in her home that faithful night and was crosstitching.
Whether she heard a noise, saw something, or her to
knock at the door is up for speculation.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
But what is not are these facts.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
An unknown man made his way inside of her home
without force, either asking to use the phone or maybe
just barging in once the door was unlocked. Once inside,
he attacked Connie, and she fought with everything inside of
her to save her own life. The kitchen chairs shoved
out of the way as the fight progressed. She ran
backwards into her home, back towards her bedroom, losing her
(27:29):
glasses in the struggle. As she fought for her life
and unable to see well, but knowing that she was
in trouble. Regardless, Connie still had a lot of fight
left in her. Her adrenaline was surging as she used
every part of her body to protect herself from the
man that was raining down blows with brutal force upon her.
They fought in her room, him eventually pushing her into
(27:51):
the bed hard enough to shove the mattress off the frame,
and he continued to bash on her, and she was
becoming weaker and weaker with every blow. She refused to
give up. He drug her back down the hallway towards
the door, but she knew she didn't want to leave,
and she didn't want to leave with him. As they
passed the washer and dryer, she grabbed onto it with
(28:12):
such might that it actually turned it out of place
as she was drug past it. But the thing is,
the attacker was much stronger and uninjured, continually fueled by
rage and pure evil. The more she thought, the more
excited and brutal he became. Connie was dripping blood, likely
(28:33):
from her nose or her mouth, which fell to the floor,
leaving a drip pattern. As he drug her out of
that back door, when they made it to her car, she.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Wasn't giving up.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
The drag marks and the dust on the car paint
a picture of a woman grasping at anything she could
use to stop from being taken. Her arms pawed at
the hood and around the side of the vehicle were
at some point another unnatural blow to her head incapacitated her.
Such an injury could cause brain damage and consequently vomiting,
(29:06):
which would spray the bumper of her car as she
was drug and would also be found in the back
seat where.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
She was shoved.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
The struggle lasted a bit longer, enough for her shirt
buttons to be ripped off and slide underneath her before
she vomited again. Exhausted and now mortally wounded, her assailant
then got in the car and used the keys he
had stolen from inside to start it. He put the
car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and drove
(29:35):
off with Connie laying in the back seat, as if
he had every right to do whatever he wanted with her.
He owned her now in his mind. It's believed that
Connie was dead before the car ever left the neighborhood.
He drove sixteen miles to an industrial area he knew
wouldn't be busy on a Sunday night, and he parked
(29:55):
in that parking lot. He opened the door under the moonlight,
and he pulled old Connie's lifeless body from the back seat,
dumping her where he stood, and he looked over her.
Satisfied with his kill, He then drove back to Connie's
house and parked a car in the driveway before exiting,
and then walked away, keeping her keys though as a
(30:18):
memento and a.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Trophy for his prized kill.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Hurricane Andrew then slammed the area and the entire time Connie,
Tracy's precious mother lay outside in those elements, and then
ten days later she was recovered. Connie's killer was still
on the loose, and police now nune the wiser on
who he was. What they hadn't yet realized was that
(30:44):
only yards from Connie's home, just through the tree line,
the Azalure Rest Cemetery would play more of a role
in this case than just her final resting place. Cemeteries
are built not just for the dead, but for the
living to have a place to visit them, and unfortunately
for another time, Connie's final resting place is about to
become one that she'll never forget. Coming up on the
(31:10):
next episode of DTL. After the tragic and brutal murder
of Connie Warner, the town of Zachary, Louisiana was still
reeling over who had killed this single mother. As the
(31:36):
family made their way inside the home, setting down their
items and Ron dropping his keys on the counter, he
turned the corner to his living room and there in
an instant, he was jolted back with fear, horrified to
realize they weren't alone. An absolute stranger was in his
house with him and his precious family. Ron could immediately
(32:02):
tell that this was an adult, black male, and when
they noticed each other, the man was standing right in
the doorway of Ron's son's bedroom. So as the two
thought that they were alone, they shared a kiss. But
the reality is that they weren't alone. A pair of
eyes had been on them the entire time. Those eyes
(32:23):
lurked in the dark, hidden from view, but careful to
watch the teens every move. Once the teens were paying
more attention to each other than their surroundings, those eyes,
hiding from within the nearby woodline, started to make their
way towards the teens. And as the rain fell and
the darkness was still, the teens had no clue. Those
eyes were on a man hell bent on hurting them
(32:45):
and hopefully killing them before the night was over. He
was on the hunt, and the teens, unknowingly had turned
right into his hunting grounds. Sure, the neighborhood he usually
terrorized was right through the tree line, but this this
was different. They drove straight into his path without warning.
He approached the vehicle, and he ripped open the back door.
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