By Bengt Lindell

LSN STAFF WRITER

The body of a dead woman was found just south of Roanoke Saturday, November 15. The remains are believed to be of 17-year old Brittney Gary, who was reported missing two weeks ago.

It was a member of a search group, organized by the missing girl’s family, who found the body near Keystone Road, just south of Highway 1126, around noon. The body had similar tattoos as those of missing Brittney Gary. The body was transported to the Calacasieu Coroner’s office for identification. No positive identification of the body was done as of Sunday morning, according to Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff Ricky Edwards.

Edwards did not give any details about the findings, but he said the body was decomposed.

“We are dealing with it as a homicide,” Sheriff Edwards said. He further stated that law enforcement has taken the girl’s disappearance seriously, since six young women have been found in rural areas of south Jeff Davis parish since 2005. One of the dead bodies was recovered only three miles from where Saturday’s discovery was made.

Forensic work at the site continued Sunday morning, after being interrupted after dark Saturday evening. Sheriff deputies searched the area Sunday morning with metal detectors, but Sheriff Edwards would not release any information regarding possible findings.

Edwards said that his office had records of missing Brittney Gary’s cell phone. The cell phone was “pinged” after Gary was last seen on Saturday, November 1, and law enforcement knows in which area this happened. Sheriff Edwards said that a cell phone had been recovered there, but it did not fit the description of Gary’s cell phone.

Several witnesses, who have made observations in the area, have stepped forward after Saturday’s discovery, Sheriff Edwards said.

Brittney Gary was related to one of the dead women found since 2005, and also knew several of them. An arrest in connection with one of the deaths was made, but no one has yet been indicted.