La. and Miss. authorities looking for SUV

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September 8, 2010

From staff and wire reports The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Wed Sep 08, 2010, 06:00 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Louisiana and Mississippi law enforcement authorities are seeking information regarding a blue SUV from Lauderdale County that has been reported in the area of a trailer in Lake Charles, La., where four bodies were found Monday.

   Law enforcement authorities are looking for a dark blue 2000 Ford Explorer XLT registered in Lauderdale County, with tag LCE 755.

   Capt. James Sharpe, commander of the Meridian Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, said they have been notified by Calcasieu Parish authorities about the SUV and are doing all they can to assist the Louisiana officials with the investigation.

   "We will do all we can to help them out but we have no reports at this time the vehicle has been seen in Meridian," said Sharpe.

   Sharpe said detectives are currently checking past owners and addresses associated with the vehicle in hopes of narrowing down the search. He said if they find the vehicle, or a person of interest connected to the vehicle, the detectives will notify the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Department investigators.

   "We might be asked to hold the vehicle so they can come up and process it as a crime scene," said Sharpe. "If a person of interest is determined and we are able to locate that person, then we will likely hold them for the Louisiana authorities."

   Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun said the department has received a bulletin to be on the lookout for the vehicle. He said the previous owner of the SUV, said to be a Meridian resident, is thought to have recently sold the vehicle to a person who obviously had not re-registered the vehicle.

   Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Tuesday the bodies of Jessica Eugene, 28-year-old Crystal Dawn Fruge, 19-year-old Terry Lynn Banks and 29-year-old Kendrick Warren Lavergne, both of Lake Charles were found in separate rooms of the mobile home.

   Mancuso has refused to say how they were killed, but said the incident probably occurred before Monday.

   Sheriff's department spokeswoman Kim Myers said deputies are waiting for a coroner's report on time of death.

   According to earlier reports, Mancuso said the bodies were found Monday morning after a woman who hadn't been able to get in touch with her daughter went to check on her. He says the woman opened the door, saw a body just inside, closed the door again and called 911.

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La. and Miss. authorities looking for SUV

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