Crime Stoppers Needs Your Help Regarding Two Bodies Found
Press Release – Lt. Mark Fontenot of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office returns to Crime Stoppers and is asking for your help with information concerning the disappearance and recovery of a body found at a local rest area.
On Sunday December 9th 2017, Alexandria Police reported that Lia Ali Kazan age 21 of Shreveport Louisiana was last seen at the America’s Best Value Inn around 7:00pm.
Video surveillance showed Kazan’s 2007 green Ford Taurus was seen leaving the inn that night. On December 10, 2017 at 4:24pm Kazan’s purse and contents were found 50 miles away at the Dubuisson rest area in our parish. Search and Rescue recovered the body of Kazan in the lake then later found her Ford Taurus submerged in the water containing the body of Michael Anthony Murray.
We are looking for any information in the case that you might have including any suspicious persons at the rest area that night.
Download our P3 app and “tap the app” on your mobile device to submit your anonymous tips. Be alert, be safe, and God Bless you. On behalf of Crime Stoppers and Lt. Mark Fontenot, I am Major Eddie Thibodeaux.
UPDATE: Investigation of December 10 Kidnapping
On December 10, around 8:00 am, APD officers responded to a local motel for a report of a missing woman. Officers learned that a 21 year old woman had been staying at the motel, and had not been seen since around 9:00 pm the previous night. Early reports indicated the missing woman had possibly been kidnapped.
Later on December 10, Detectives investigating the matter learned that personal items of the missing woman had been found in Lake Dubuisson near Ville Platte. A man discovered the personal items in the lake and the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted. Through their investigation, Deputies learned of the missing person investigation and APD detectives were contacted.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz stated, “We were fortunate in that on Sunday, December 10, 2017, a local fisherman decided to exit I-49 and try his new rod & reel before heading out to Toledo Bend for a fishing trip. While casting on the bank of Lake Dubuisson, the local fisherman noticed a black object floating in the water and was able to hook it and bring it to shore. Inside the black object (purse) was personal items including a driver’s license and cell phone belonging to a black female from the Shreveport area. A call was made to our office and detectives were dispatched to retrieve and examine the purse and its contents. Dragging operations began the next morning and within 4 hours, the body of the female victim was recovered.”
On December 11, after St. Landry deputies notified Alexandria detectives of the discovery of the body. APD detectives continued locating witnesses and evidence. Later that day, detectives confirmed that the missing woman had been kidnapped from the motel by a white male. Evidence from the motel indicated that she was kidnapped from the parking lot and taken from the scene in her own car. Detectives were able to identify the male suspect, and obtain a warrant for his arrest.
“Alexandria Police detectives were notified and St. Landry Detectives were told that the female victim’s vehicle, a 2007 Ford Taurus was missing and the individual suspected of kidnapping the missing female was listed as the suspect that had her vehicle. St. Landry Parish Search & Rescue deputies located tire tracks along the bank of Lake Dubuisson leading into the water. St. Landry Parish divers were dispatched to the area and after a short while, located a vehicle in about 15 feet of water. Deputies pulled the vehicle out of the water and quickly learned the vehicle was the 2007 Ford Taurus belonging to the kidnapped subject. Additionally, there was a white male found in the submerged vehicle and was identified as the kidnap suspect, Michael Anthony Murray”, Guidroz said.
At this time, the kidnapping investigation is being headed by the Alexandria Police Department, while the death investigation of the male and female are being headed by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. While the two investigations are connected, both departments are following jurisdictional guidelines dictated by Louisiana law.
“This investigation is complicated, as well as tragic,” said Alexandria Police Chief Neal Bates. “Our detectives spent days finding witnesses, locating and evaluating evidence, and then were able to identify the suspect behind the kidnapping. However, within a short time of the incident occurring, both the suspect and the victim were dead and we are left with many questions. Detectives from both agencies are continuing to investigate to find the answers to these questions. I want to thank Sheriff Bobby Guidroz and his deputies at the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office for everything they have done to help with this case. We will continue to work with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office to explore every lead that develops.”
Autopsies are scheduled to be performed on both victims on Thursday, December 14, 2017. From the autopsies, officers are hoping to learn if the victims were killed prior to entering Lake Dubuisson or if they drowned in Lake Dubuisson.
