Murder in the Bayou: Monster in Bayou Pigeon

Summary

Cold Case Files: Murder in the Bayou - Monster in Bayou Pigeon

Hosted by Paula Barros

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Murder in the Bayou: Monster in Bayou Pigeon," Paula Barros delves into one of Iberville Parish's most haunting unsolved cases. This story examines the mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder of Curtis Cochise Smith, a case that remained unresolved for over two decades until a breakthrough brought unexpected closure.

The Disappearance of Curtis Cochise Smith

On February 21, 1991, in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, 29-year-old Curtis Cochise Smith vanished under perplexing circumstances. Cochise, a devoted family man, was last seen making a routine trip to purchase diapers for his infant son, Gerald. His sister, Chrisann Smith, recounts the day:

"It was a normal day. I was at home. Cochise was living with me and my parents." [03:08]

Despite the grocery store being less than a mile away, Cochise failed to return. An hour later, his absence raised immediate concerns, leading the family to search desperately for him. Three days after his disappearance, his mother officially reported him missing.

Initial Investigation and Early Leads

Brett Stosse, the sheriff of Iberville Parish, alongside Ronnie Herbert, the chief criminal deputy, spearheaded the investigation. The initial inquiry focused on Cochise's personal life and potential threats. Detective narratives reveal the early investigative steps:

"Cochise was doing odd jobs, you know, that type of work. Nothing where he was gonna make any money from it." [03:34]

Despite extensive searches and interviews, the case quickly hit a dead end, leaving the family in anguish and the investigators without viable leads.

New Evidence and Confessions

Four years after the disappearance, in March 1995, Diet Emael, a local beauty shop owner, contacted law enforcement with startling information. She claimed that Tommy Francis, Cochise's boss, had confessed to the murder. Emael described the manipulative nature of Francis and his potential motives:

"Tommy was very manipulative, very conniving. He could sell, you know, a burning man, gas, you know, just the type of person he was." [08:32]

To corroborate her claims, Emael agreed to wear a wire during a confrontation with Francis. Melina Gautier, another victim of Francis’s manipulative behavior, played a crucial role in obtaining a confession:

"He told me the whole damn story of what he did. Word for word, gruesome detail. I felt nauseated. I felt paralyzed, like I couldn't even move." [15:57]

Despite Francis's verbal confession, authorities faced a significant hurdle: the absence of Cochise's body. Without it, charges based solely on confession were difficult to prosecute, leading to Francis's release.

Linking to Additional Murders

Tragedy struck again in March 2002 when George Barrett III, another employee of Tommy Francis, was found dead in his home under suspicious circumstances. Investigators quickly connected the dots between Cochise's disappearance and Barrett's murder, solidifying Francis's pattern of violence.

"Tommy tells how he did it, that he unscrewed the light bulb and he shot him. And it all added up. I mean, everything she told us, the scene that we saw was exactly what she said Tommy told us." [28:49]

Reopening the Cold Case

The case lay dormant until 2015 when a fisherman's discovery of a decomposing barrel in Natchitoches rekindled hope for closure. DNA testing, however, revealed that the remains did not belong to Cochise, temporarily reigniting the mystery.

"It was like a punch in the guts. We need some closure, me and my family. We need some closure for Cochise." [31:47]

Undeterred, investigators intensified their efforts, re-interviewing witnesses and gathering new evidence against Francis.

Final Arrest and Resolution

After 25 years, in 2016, law enforcement successfully apprehended Tommy Francis in Texas. Faced with undeniable evidence and multiple confessions, Francis was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for Cochise and Barrett.

"We got a phone call from the police saying they had arrested Tommy Francis. It was a weight, a big weight off my shoulder that he had been arrested." [32:56]

Tragically, before facing trial, Francis was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in prison, denying the Smith family the full legal closure they sought.

Aftermath and Reflections

The unresolved fate of Curtis Cochise Smith left lasting scars on his family. Chrisann Smith poignantly expressed the enduring pain:

"My mother died without knowing what happened to her son. Her baby, Cochise, she never found him. I wish he could walk through that door and say, here I am, sis. You don't have to worry no more." [34:03]

Detective Aubrey St. Angelo reflected on the emotional toll of the case:

"I miss my dad a lot... I hope that whoever takes my place in the department in the coming years are able to locate Cochise. I can imagine that would be the greatest feeling in the world for the family." [34:03]

Conclusion

"Murder in the Bayou: Monster in Bayou Pigeon" underscores the relentless pursuit of justice in the face of elusive evidence and the profound impact unresolved cases have on families. While Tommy Francis's confession brought a semblance of closure, the absence of Cochise's remains leaves lingering questions and a void that the Smith family continues to endure.

Notable Quotes

• "When Cochise didn't come home, yeah, we know something was wrong." – Chrisann Smith [03:52]
• "He told me the whole damn story of what he did. Word for word, gruesome detail." – Melina Gautier [15:57]
• "We need some closure, me and my family. We need some closure for Cochise." – Chrisann Smith [31:47]
• "My mother died without knowing what happened to her son." – Chrisann Smith [34:03]

Final Thoughts

This episode of Cold Case Files masterfully weaves through years of investigation, personal testimonies, and the relentless quest for truth. It serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring quest for justice and the human stories intertwined within cold cases.

Transcript

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[Detective]

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[Marissa Pinson]

Hi Cold Case listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson, and before we get into this week's episode, I just wanted to remind you that episodes of Cold Case Files as as the A and E classic podcasts, I Survived, American justice and City Confidential are all available ad free on the new A and E Crime and investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just 4.99amonth or $39.99 a year. And now on to the show. The following episode contains intensely disturbing accounts of violence. Listener discretion is advised.

[Chrisann Smith]

When Cochise didn't come on, yeah, we.

[Detective]

Know something was wrong in Bayou Pigeon. There's total darkness. We got some places that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

[Diet Emael]

You remember what the weather was that night? It was rainy.

[Detective]

He reached to turn on that light when he did. Pow.

[Chrisann Smith]

When they told us that he made a confession. That's enough evidence for me.

[Marissa Pinson]

Can't prove I did life.

[Detective]

So confident, so happy. I think he loved the challenge of you can't catch me.

[Chrisann Smith]

We did everything that we possibly can to find Cochise and it never happened.

[Detective]

Somebody called and says, look, there's a barrel washed up in the bayou. After all these years, we thinking, oh shit, this may be the one.

[Marissa Pinson]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. February 21, 1991. It's a gray rainy day in Iberville Parish. 29 year old Curtis Cochise Smith is spending a quiet day with family. Chrisann, Georgetown is Cochise's sister.

[Chrisann Smith]

It was a normal day. I was at home. Cochise was living with me and my parents.

[Marissa Pinson]

Brett Stosse is the sheriff of Ipperville Parish.

[Diet Emael]

Cochise was in the process of trying to acquire some diapers for his baby. And he had contacted his boss and he was trying to get some money to go make sure he could make that run for the baby.

[Marissa Pinson]

Ronnie Herbert is the chief criminal deputy of Iberville Parish.

[Detective]

Cochise was doing odd jobs, you know, that type of work. Nothing where he was gonna make any money from it.

[Chrisann Smith]

He did say he got $10 to get some diapers for the baby.

[Marissa Pinson]

The grocery store is less than a mile away. But one hour later, Cochise still hasn't returned.

[Chrisann Smith]

When Cochise didn't come home, yeah, we know something was wrong. Cochise did not stay away from home. Cochise was gonna come home to see his only child. We went out looking for Cochise. We checked where my mom house was, we checked in the cane field and stuff like that, but turned up nothing. Three days later, my mother reported that Curtis was missing.

[Marissa Pinson]

Cochise and his siblings grew up in a loving home.

[Chrisann Smith]

Cochise was my older brother. My mom and dad had 10 kids in the house. Six boys and four girls. Koti was the fourth boy. I'm the baby girl. So we about like three years apart. I could remember back when I first got my bike and a little girl had ran into my bike. And I told her, you ran into my bike. So Kochi got off of his bike and took the girl bike and threw it in the ditch. So Cochise, you've been protective of me.

[Marissa Pinson]

Even into his 20s, Cochise decides to stay close to home on the bayou. At 27, a new woman enters his life.

[Chrisann Smith]

Cochise and Lydia, they met because me and Lydia, mama was friends. Lydia was a good girl. She was a good, sweet girl. His world was Lydia. Cochise never let Lydia go without anything. It don't matter how he Got it. He got it for her. That was her first boyfriend. So you know, when your first love, that is a bond.

[Marissa Pinson]

By August of 1990, Cochise is working as a roofer as he and Lydia welcome a son, Gerald, into the world.

[Chrisann Smith]

When she had the child, Cochise would take the baby for a walk in a stroller. Cochise would feed the baby. Cochise would change the baby. That was Cochee's heart.

[Diet Emael]

I've lived my whole life in Iberville Parish. My daddy was always a public servant. He worked as a detective, he worked as a chief deputy. Louisiana is known for three of the top murder cities in the United States. Iberville's not one of them. But you could get yourself in some trouble. As soon as the family said, no, that something's really wrong, we went out to try to track his last day. On March 4, the sheriff's office reached back out to the family.

[Detective]

The first thing you want to do is get with family members. Nobody knows that person better than a family member. You want to know who to hang out with. You want to know the clothing they wear. You know, is there any mental issues going on with them? When Cochise was last seen, he was wearing gray sweatpants, a white pullover shirt, and he also had on a blue jacket and he had an umbrella with him because it was raining that night. You go, looking back at the history, is there anybody recently or within the past made any threats toward him?

[Marissa Pinson]

Cochise has been missing for 13 days. When investigators speak directly to Cochise's girlfriend, Lydia.

[Detective]

When somebody comes up missing, you certainly want to speak to their significant other, because anything's possible.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives meet with the young mother in her home.

[Chrisann Smith]

She was crying, saying her baby is going to grow up without a daddy.

[Detective]

And Lydia said she received a phone call from him. But that phone call he made was made from a payphone which was located outside of a store called National Food Store. That's where he went to go buy the item for the kid. Because back in the early 90s, there was no cell phones in this area, but there was a payphone. And I remember it specifically because I've used that phone myself.

[Marissa Pinson]

In the early 90s, Lydia tells police that there was nothing unusual about the phone call. Investigators, however, learn about another call from Cochise.

[Diet Emael]

They needed to know, did somebody want to hurt him?

[Chrisann Smith]

Cochise made a phone call to my mama from the grocery store.

[Detective]

Cochise told that family, if anything ever happened to me, go find Tommy. Tommy Francis come from a very Wealthy family. Tommy had family that were elected officials. I knew him, knew him well. I didn't go to school with him, but I remember Tommy Francis was very athletic in running. Tommy still to this day holds a record at Louisiana State University for track, running the mile.

[Diet Emael]

Once he got into the real world and was working, he built homes. He built different homes. Tommy Francis built my first home.

[Detective]

Tommy also owned the ice business. But Tommy was very manipulative, very conniving. He could sell, you know, a burning man, gas, you know, just the type of person he was. But Tommy also had some problems with domestic violence. Tommy knew who he could pick on. Tommy picked out a certain group of people that he would control and threaten and abuse. Tommy puts Cochise to work just doing odd jobs, you know, just blue collar workers. Get out there and with a shovel and dig a ditch. Cochise family knew that Tommy could be a volatile person.

[Diet Emael]

The sheriff's office learned that Cochise had been making some calls, trying to get some funds. And we speculated that he had contact his boss, Tommy Francis, and he was trying to get some money to go make that run for the baby. They trailed, left us with Cochise missing and Tommy Francis one of the last people that saw him.

[Detective]

That's when they really said, holy shit, we need to dig into this a little further.

[Diet Emael]

On March 5, the sheriff's office decided it was time to talk to Tommy. And we brought Tommy in, that he told him, I saw Cochise earlier that day. He hadn't been here in a little while. He wanted to borrow some money from me.

[Detective]

He was very cooperative. As a matter of fact, they did a search warrant on the place. They found nothing. They couldn't find anything they could hang their hat on. He walked around with them and, oh, yeah, check this, check that. I got nothing to hide. I didn't do anything wrong, you know.

[Marissa Pinson]

After coming up empty with Tommy, investigators go back to the streets to find any clues they can.

[Detective]

Cochise was not the type of person that a lot of people knew. I mean, he. He ran in a small circle. I think they had exhausted everything. Nothing came in. No more new leads. I think at that point in time, they were at a standstill.

[Diet Emael]

We have no body. We've run down all the leads, and we have a grieving family, but we don't have a lot of direction for law enforcement to go in.

[Marissa Pinson]

By the summer of 1991, all leads have vanished, and the Cochise case goes cold.

[Chrisann Smith]

It was hard not knowing where my brother Cochise was at it was not sleeping, waiting for to see if Cochise gonna call, come home. It was hard to feel normal without Cochise because a piece was missing.

[Detective]

I can't imagine. You know, look, I got three kids in my home and I have four grandkids and I can't even imagine getting a phone call that any one of my kids or grandkids or my wife or anybody would come up missing. I'd be. It'd be total panic for me.

[Diet Emael]

Cochise case being left open is disturbing to the family. But in those years, they had other murders, we had bodies, we had trials. And even though Cochise's case was always right there, it just wasn't on the top burner.

[Marissa Pinson]

It's now March 1995, four years after Cochise goes missing.

[Diet Emael]

On March 9, Sheriff's Office received a call from a woman and she said that she had some information about the Cochise case.

[Detective]

She had a beauty shop and this guy would just drop in at any given time, day or night, and he would call her and make threats toward her.

[Diet Emael]

And she said he talked about how he might have killed Cochise.

[Marissa Pinson]

Diet Emael owns a beauty shop in Plaquemin, the seat of Iberville Parish.

[Melina Gautier]

I lived in Plaquemin my whole life. This is back when I was cheerful and happy and no fear, no fear. I heard about the Cochise case just being a local in this area. Everybody was talking about it and knew about it. I wish I could go back to the day I never met this guy.

[Detective]

The sheriff's office received a call from d an email saying that she knew who harmed Cochise or killed him.

[Diet Emael]

And she said that, let me tell you, Tommy Francis had something to do with Cochise's coming up missing.

[Melina Gautier]

When I first met Tommy, he was very kind, gentle, soft spoken, very helpful. And I was going through a divorce with my ex husband. I was a single mom and Tommy would always show up at my beauty shop to stop in and say hello. He would come in and let me help you. For instance, my grass was not getting cut. My house was for sale. My ex husband wasn't helping me to cut the grass. I was at work all the time cutting hair, and Tommy was there to offer that. And then one time I started to notice that I thought I had seen somebody in my window and it kind of startled me. I don't know if that was him or not in my window, but I'm kind of getting worried because he's starting to show up. And I knew he was stalking Me, I realized that while I was at work, he was inside my house, going through my things, stalking. I didn't confront Tommy because I was beginning to be fearful.

[Marissa Pinson]

Despite her concerns, Diet is too afraid to cut off contact. As Tommy becomes more comfortable with her, he begins exposing a much darker side of himself.

[Melina Gautier]

When Tommy started revealing himself to me and telling me these stories of how he murdered somebody, I definitely knew Tommy's telling the truth.

[Marissa Pinson]

Diet finally works up the courage to call authorities in the hopes of getting Francis to admit killing Cochise. Diet agrees to wear a wire.

[Melina Gautier]

I was beginning to get scared, really scared, and I wanted him caught. So they sent a female officer in with me and they put a white wire in my bra and they had a little thing in my ear. I was told to invite him over, cook the gumbo. The police officers are sitting in my attic. They're sitting in a van down the street.

[Detective]

I'd be scared to death to send somebody with a wire because you can't just sit in the living room and say, talking. This microphone. She needed to get up close to him.

[Melina Gautier]

I had to be brave. I had no other choice.

[Marissa Pinson]

On the recording, Francis admits to killing Cochise by himself and even brags about how badly he hurt him.

[Detective]

I mean, he was actually laughing. He was talking about how they would never be able to connect him. Can't prove I did.

[Chrisann Smith]

Why are you so confident about that?

[Diet Emael]

Well, once the worst is so confident, I know they ain't gonna.

[Detective]

What about that guy? They should have told him not to steal. Come with me.

[Melina Gautier]

He told me the whole damn story of what he did. Word for word, gruesome detail. I felt nauseated. I felt paralyzed, like I couldn't even move.

[Marissa Pinson]

Francis is confident that he won't be caught because police will never find the body and has no sympathy for Cochise's family. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Taking care of your mental health can feel like a big investment, and we often push it aside because we feel it's something we'll get to when life slows down. But looking after your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Let's be honest. Traditional therapy can be expensive, costing anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, and that adds up fast. But therapy shouldn't feel like a luxury. And with BetterHelp, you can save up to 50% per session while still getting high quality care. BetterHelp offers a flat fee for weekly sessions, making therapy more affordable and accessible. No more worrying about commuting or scheduling conflicts. BetterHelp is entirely online so you can join a session with the click of a button wherever you are. Plus, if your therapist isn't the right fit, you can switch anytime at no extra cost. Therapy isn't just for major life crises. It can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. It's a useful tool to help with learning positive coping skills, setting boundaries, and becoming the best version of yourself. With over 30,000 licensed therapists on the platform and over 5 million people served worldwide, BetterHelp is here to support you. Your well being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com coldcase to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp H-E-L-P.com coldcase Cold case files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Despite having a full confession from Francis, authorities make the decision not to arrest.

[Diet Emael]

They didn't have a body. I mean up until lately you hadn't seen a crime without a body even being attempted to be prosecuted in the Deep South. No body, no crime.

[Melina Gautier]

They told me if I did this they would be able to put him behind bars fairly quickly. And I kept waiting. I kept waiting. I kept questioning the cops. I kept saying what's it going to take? What else? I was always looking over my shoulder, constantly worried, a nervous wreck. He was wanting more from the relationship and I wasn't willing to give more. And he got mad and he vandalized and tore up my entire shop. I was so mentally broken at that time thinking this man is going to kill me. This man is coming after me.

[Marissa Pinson]

Six long years go by, then the police get a possible break.

[Diet Emael]

In 2001 Tommy was arrested and brought into the Iberville Parish Jail where he was booked in a felony theft charge and he actually had to do some amount of time while he was incarcerated and the pressure mounted on him.

[Detective]

And then lo and behold, he gave a full fledged admission to what he.

[Diet Emael]

Had done and this time he turned the tables a little bit from the story he had told. He had to kill Cochise in self defense.

[Detective]

So Tommy says Cochise actually shows up to the house, comes in the house and pulls a gun out of him.

[Diet Emael]

And then I saw him pull the gun out, took off, ran in the hall and I grabbed my gun, my gun was in the closet and I shot at him.

[Detective]

Tommy at that time is now claiming self defense. But Tommy had enough time to retreat to the bedroom, come out with a rifle. So that didn't even make sense.

[Diet Emael]

I put cold sheets in the barrel. I put a weight in the barrel, just a couple of metal weights. Part of the confession was, you have to show us what you did and where you did. And Tommy brought law enforcement officials out there to the scene.

[Detective]

This is by your pigeon. And we'll be pulling up on Francis's camp right here, up on the right. Look like it's abandoned now, but this is where he told the detectives that he dropped off Cochise in the barrel.

[Diet Emael]

Tommy brought the barrel to Bayou Pigeon and ease it out in the water. I backed up and I pushed it.

[Detective]

Out in the water. And he said he watched it go to about midway of the bayou.

[Diet Emael]

The barrel sunk about 10, 15, 20ft.

[Detective]

Out, something like that.

[Diet Emael]

But no, I got back in the truck and I left.

[Detective]

Just an eerie feeling to know that this guy would commit a heinous crimes like this and dump somebody's body in a drum, just throw it off in that bayou right there.

[Diet Emael]

Dive team goes down, cadaver dogs, sonar looking for the barrel, looking for anything that they could find at the pigeon location. And nothing was able to be found at that time.

[Detective]

He's out. I think it was a game with Tommy. Tommy loved the challenge of you can't catch me.

[Chrisann Smith]

When they told us that he made a confession that he killed Cochise, that's enough evidence for me.

[Marissa Pinson]

With no body, however, Francis is ultimately released from prison.

[Melina Gautier]

And for years I waited for this arrest that never came. And I would wake up with nightmares that, you know, he's coming after me, he's going to kill my child, he's going to do something. It was just, it was a nightmare.

[Marissa Pinson]

In March of 2002, less than a year after Francis release, tragedy strikes Plaquemin once again.

[Diet Emael]

Plaquemin City police received a call from a woman who said she hadn't heard from George Barrett since the 2nd of March. She sent her 15 year old son out to look for him.

[Marissa Pinson]

George Barrett III is George's son.

[Detective]

I was at home and my sister called and said that I needed to go to my dad's house, something was wrong. And he went in the house and Came back out and said, mom, Grandpa. Not responding. George Barrett was found laying on the floor with a single gunshot, wounded. My dad was known to the community. He was a carpenter, handyman, somebody they can trust. That's the kind of guy my dad was. When you walk into the residence, there was a living room. To the immediate right was his bedroom. I see a half eaten sandwich. And the TV was on.

[Diet Emael]

And they found a shell casing.

[Detective]

It was a small caliber, you know, 22.

[Marissa Pinson]

Searching the home, investigators make a curious discovery.

[Detective]

The light bulb in the bedroom was unscrewed. They had a pull card to turn the light on and turn it off instead of a wall switch. There was no forced entry. There was nothing out of place. George knew who killed him. And I think that George Barry came in, made his sandwich, sit down, eat his sandwich, turned the TV on, went into the bedroom. He, he reached to turn on that light. When he did, pow. It was a setup.

[Diet Emael]

And then it was learned through that investigation that he too was an employee of Tommy Francis.

[Detective]

You know, hey, if it walked like a duck and it quacked like a duck is a duck.

[Diet Emael]

It didn't take long for 1 and 2 to add up. And they said, Tommy has killed the second victim. They're waiting on fingerprint analysis from the light bulb, waiting on. Ballistics wanted to find a gun that may have shot the bullet, but they couldn't locate anything.

[Marissa Pinson]

13 years pass before a random encounter reignites the Cochise case. In 2015, Aubrey St. Angelo is an Iberville Parish detective.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

We learned that a barrel was discovered in the parish of Natchitoches. A fisherman had been fishing and noticed that the barrel was starting to decompose itself. That fisherman reported that he had seen what appeared to be human remains exposed in the barrel.

[Detective]

Tommy had made a statement that he had put Cochise in a barrel. And somebody called and says, look, there's a barrel washed up on a riverbank in the bayou. And we thinking, oh, shit, this may be the one.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

I became involved with the investigation of Curtis Cochise Smith when it was told to us that we would be reopening the investigation.

[Detective]

There was a lot of people definitely afraid of Tommy Francis. People that I know of would scared to death of him. It was time to figure out how to get him. Tommy. He traveled. He was a truck driver. And lo and behold, Tommy had a friend who had a camp up there in Natchitoches, Louisiana. So we thinking, holy crap, he could have told Dietti, drop his body off in Bayou Pigeon. But he may have dropped him off in Natchitoches.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

That person that they found in the barrel was determined to be of African American descent.

[Chrisann Smith]

I was at work and I got that call and there was, you know, the police found a barrel. It could have been Cochee, but there was a possibility that it wasn't Cochise Plaquemin.

[Marissa Pinson]

PD wastes no time sending a team of investigators to Natchitoches.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

There was a metal barrel which was consistent with what Tommy Francis had allegedly put Curtis Smith in.

[Detective]

That body was encased in concrete.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

There were some jagged fibers attached to the concrete. It was a bluish greenish looking fabric.

[Detective]

When Cochise was last seen, he was wearing a blue jacket.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

We extracted some of the dental remains and we had the tooth grinded up and sent to a lab to be compared against familial DNA.

[Chrisann Smith]

The police called me to come up to the courthouse to take a DNA and they asked me, do I know where his son? And I said yes. So me and his son went to the police station and they took DNA of me and Gerald.

[Marissa Pinson]

While investigators wait for the DNA results, they comb through reports searching for something they may have missed.

[Detective]

We went through all these statements, we started finding these people, finding who's still living, and then we'd bring them in and say, okay, we'd like to re interview you. We did a bunch of interviews and I talked to Arlene.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

Arlene Randall was a lady who Tommy had a relationship with. Tommy ultimately told Arlene Randall that he had killed Curtis over a stolen air compressor and that he was pretty angry about it and that's how he was going to get his justice. He was going to be the judge. And Arlene knew that George Barrett was taking Tommy to court.

[Marissa Pinson]

Arlene agrees to come in and speak with detectives.

[Melina Gautier]

George was actually suing Tommy for a.

[Detective]

Few thousands of dollars because he was.

[Melina Gautier]

Hurting on his job.

[Chrisann Smith]

But of course, Tommy doesn't have workman's comp insurance.

[Detective]

Tommy told her he's not gonna come to court, he's not gonna make it.

[Diet Emael]

I talked to George and I said, please be careful.

[Detective]

You don't know who you're dealing with.

[Diet Emael]

I said, I'm telling you, George, please.

[Melina Gautier]

Don'T turn your back.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

Uncovering that information during Arlene's interview was very powerful because it gave us a motive. Tommy Francis, he would have a motive to murder George because he didn't want to have to pay George.

[Marissa Pinson]

Investigators continue to re interview witnesses and find that Arlene is not not the only woman in Tommy's life who's ready to talk.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

We was able to establish the fact that Tommy had another mistress by the name of Melina Gautier. He had told her what he had did to George and how he went in through a back window and he laid in wait. He had unscrewed a light bulb. The investigators had found that the light bulb was loose, making the house dark for when George came home. The light bulb information had never been released to the public, so the only.

[Detective]

Person would have known that would be the person who unscrewed that light bulb, and that would have been Tommy Francis. Tommy told her how he did it, that he unscrewed the light bulb and he shot him. And it all added up. I mean, everything she told us, the scene that we saw was exactly what she said Tommy told us.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Aubrey St. Angelo]

The barrel that was located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The DNA was tested against that of family members of Curtis Smith, and the DNA returned negative results of that being any way related to Curtis Smith.

[Chrisann Smith]

It was like a punch in the guts. We need some closure, me and my family. We need some closure for Cochise.

[Marissa Pinson]

Despite the devastating news, investigators and the Iberville Parish DA close in on Francis.

[Detective]

We sat down with the district attorney's office and we laid this whole case out. We felt it was enough evidence to go forth with a charge of second degree murder for Cochise and for George Barrett. We learned Tommy was out of state. Tommy was driving 18 Wheeler. We knew he was in Texas, so we started pinging the phone and we was watching him. He crosses the Louisiana border. We pull up at Tommy's in the truck parked. He had a little shave, pull. So we get on the horn, start hollering at him, get out, get out, get out, get out. And he gets out. And there was no confrontation, nothing. So I get him in my unit and I read him his rights. And that's when I tell Tommy. I say, tommy, you do realize today was the last day of freedom for you, right?

[Diet Emael]

25 years after Cochise's disappearance, Tommy Francis was charged with two counts of second degree murder.

[Chrisann Smith]

We got a phone call from the police saying they had arrested Tommy Francis. It was a weight, a big weight off my shoulder that he had been arrested.

[Marissa Pinson]

While in jail awaiting trial, Tommy Francis is diagnosed with cancer.

[Detective]

He was brought to Hunt's Correctional center because they have a medical facility there, they have a hospice center.

[Aubrey St. Angelo]

I remember getting the call and the fact that he passed away in prison. And it was kind of like, you know what? Look, you was going to have to face judgment day anyway.

[Melina Gautier]

No, dying of cancer was not enough for this creature. He was evil. He was evil dying was a blessing for him. He tortured people. He tortured people for years.

[Detective]

I miss my dad a lot, particularly when I'm around my male buddies. They talk about the different things that they go and do with their dad. And I'm the only one in the crowd that my dad is not here to do those things with.

[Chrisann Smith]

My mother died without knowing what happened to her son. Her baby, Cochise, she never found him. If I had, I give him all my money. I'd give him my life just to have him here. I wish he could walk through that door and say, here I am, sis. You don't have to worry no more.

[Detective]

I don't know if I would be around, but I hope that whoever takes my place in the department in the coming years are able to locate Cochise. I can imagine that would be the greatest feeling in the world for the family. They can now have a proper burial for him. I think that would be awesome. Pluto TV has all the shows and movies you love Streaming for free that means laughter is free with gut busting comedies like the Neighborhood Boomerang and Fish Ferris Bueller's Day Off Bueller free mystery is free with countless cases to crack From Criminal Minds Tracker and Matlock I'm.

[Melina Gautier]

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[Detective]

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