49°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Report: Suspected kidnapper, victim both drowned

6 years 3 months 1 week ago Friday, December 15 2017 Dec 15, 2017 December 15, 2017 12:47 PM December 15, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

ST. LANDRY PARISH - Authorities say a woman and her suspected kidnapper both drowned in a South Louisiana lake earlier this week.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office says 21-year-old Lia Ali Kazan's body was pulled out of Lake Dubuisson after a fisherman hooked her purse Sunday, prompting search-and-rescue workers to search the water.

Shortly after Kazan's body was pulled out of the water, her vehicle was found submerged with a second person, Michael Anthony Murray, dead inside. According to KATC, Alexandria Police had identified Murray as a suspect in Kazan's kidnapping, issuing a warrant for his arrest shortly before he was found dead.

Autopsies show that both died from drowning.

Alexandria police say Kazan was last seen Saturday night at the America's Best Value Inn. Video showed Kazan leaving in her green Ford Taurus around 7 p.m. that night. 

The sheriff's office and Alexandria police are now looking for any info related to the intricate case.

“This investigation is complicated, as well as tragic,” Alexandria Police Chief Neal Bates told KATC.  “Our detectives spent days finding witnesses, locating and evaluating evidence, and then were able to identify the suspect in the kidnapping.  However, within a short time, both the suspect and the victim were dead and we are left with many questions."

The kidnapping and deaths are currently being investigated as two separate incidents by the Alexandria and St. Landry Sheriff's Office respectively, due to both occurring in different locations.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days