Police are investigating after a Baton Rouge mother was shot to death in front of her young daughter.
What We Know:
- On the morning of March 18th, Raemel Richardson failed to show up for work as a deputy clerk at Baker City Court and was not answering phone calls, prompting coworkers to call the police. It would be hours later until anyone discovered 31-year-old Raemel Richardson’s body in the banks of the Mississippi River.
- Police believe an argument between Richardson and her boyfriend Jonathan Bryant, 35, ensued the night before, which ultimately lead to her death. Bryant had previously denied any involvement in Richardson’s disappearance, but her 5-year-old daughter remembers her first-hand account of the incident.
Richardson’s daughter told Baton Rouge police that she was asleep in the car during the argument until she “was awakened by a loud bang.” She was not injured during the altercation.
- After killing Richardson, police reports suggest Bryant “abandoned and burned” the mother’s car on West Irene Road in Zachary. He went on to dump her remains in the Mississippi River about 40 miles south of Baton Rouge, where more than 24 hours would pass before a group of kids from St. James Parish would spot the body and report the sighting to authorities.
- Richardson was taken into custody at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. He has no previous domestic violence incidents and only has a criminal history of traffic violations. It is unclear whether he has an attorney to comment on his behalf.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org to speak to someone who can help. All calls and messages are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
