Real Life Real Crime | Behind The Scenes with Jason Ard: Barbara Blount ep 2

Summary

Real Life Real Crime | Behind The Scenes with Jason Ard: Barbara Blount Ep 2

Release Date: August 8, 2025

Introduction

In the second episode of the "Behind The Scenes with Sheriff Jason Ard" series, hosted by Woody Overton of "Real Life Real Crime," the focus remains on the unresolved case of Barbara Blount’s disappearance and presumed murder. This episode delves deeper into the investigation, featuring insights from Sheriff Jason Ard and the esteemed Detective Stan Carpenter.

Background of the Case

Barbara Blount was reported missing on May 2, 2008, in Livingston Parish. Known for her immaculate housekeeping and strong community ties, her sudden disappearance left the community in shock. The initial investigation faced numerous challenges, including severe weather conditions that hindered search efforts. Detective Carpenter recounts, “The house was immaculate, yet something was undeniably wrong” (11:09).

Investigation Challenges

The investigation encountered a "perfect storm" of obstacles. Heavy rains caused rapid water accumulation, making search efforts arduous and limiting aerial reconnaissance. Detective Carpenter highlights the environmental difficulties, stating, “Everything went against us” (24:18). Despite these setbacks, the team, including Chuck Watts and Kevin Harrell, remained relentless in their pursuit of leads.

Community Involvement and Tips

A significant portion of the investigation relied on community tips. Sheriff Ard emphasizes the importance of public assistance, saying, “Keep calling in your tips. There's one tip out there that's going to break this straw” (02:15). Both the sheriff’s office and Woody Overton have established multiple channels for anonymous tips, urging anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Efforts and Persistence

Detective Carpenter and his team exhibited unwavering dedication. They revisited leads multiple times, ensuring no stone was left unturned. Carpenter reflects, “There’s not one single thing... that I would have done different” (34:14). Their persistent efforts included re-examining alibis and following up on new information, even years after the initial investigation.

Insights from "Real Life Real Crime"

Woody Overton, bringing his unique perspective from true crime investigations, collaborates closely with the sheriff’s office. He underscores the importance of detailed evidence collection and community rapport. Overton notes, “We followed all the evidence... it was a challenge” (16:09), highlighting the meticulous nature of the investigation.

Appeal for Justice and Closure

Both Sheriff Ard and Detective Carpenter express a heartfelt plea for justice. They acknowledge Barbara Blount’s respected status in the community and the profound impact of her loss. Sheriff Ard states, “Prayers go out to Barbara Blunt and the family” (42:44), emphasizing the ongoing commitment to solving the case. Detective Carpenter adds, “Ms. Blunt deserves justice” (41:29), reinforcing their dedication to the victim's family.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a reaffirmation of the collective effort to bring closure to Barbara Blount’s case. Sheriff Ard and Detective Carpenter urge listeners to provide any information that could aid in solving the case, reinforcing the message that every tip counts. The collaboration between law enforcement and true crime enthusiasts like Woody Overton exemplifies a community united in pursuit of justice.

Notable Quotes

• Woody Overton (00:07): “The carpet on the floor was very, very light colored... everything was immaculate.”

• Sheriff Jason Ard (02:15): “Keep calling in your tips. There's one tip out there that's going to break this straw.”

• Stan Carpenter (24:18): “Everything went against us.”

• Woody Overton (16:09): “We followed all the evidence... it was a challenge.”

• Sheriff Jason Ard (42:44): “Prayers go out to Barbara Blunt and the family.”

• Stan Carpenter (41:29): “Ms. Blunt deserves justice.”

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a testament to the enduring commitment of the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office and the true crime community in unraveling the mystery behind Barbara Blount’s disappearance. Through relentless investigation and community engagement, the pursuit of truth and justice remains unwavering.

Transcript

[Woody Overton]

This is the story of the one.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

He'S responsible for keeping a leading health.

[Stan Carpenter]

Care facility clean and safe.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And he trusts Granger's high quality H vac cleaning and safety products combined with their world class supply chain to consistently.

[Stan Carpenter]

Deliver, ensuring he's covered inside and out.

[Woody Overton]

So he can focus on keeping his.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Facility clean to help protect the health of everyone inside. Call 1-800-granger clickranger.com or just stop by.

[Woody Overton]

Granger for the ones who get it done. Buying a car in Carvana was so.

[Stan Carpenter]

Easy, I was able to finance it through them.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I just.

[Stan Carpenter]

Whoa, wait, you mean finance? Yeah, finance.

[Woody Overton]

Got pre qualified for a Carvana auto loan, entered my terms and shot from.

[Stan Carpenter]

Thousands of great car options all within my budget. That's cool. But financing through Carvana was so easy.

[Woody Overton]

Financed, done.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And I get to pick up my.

[Woody Overton]

Car from their Carvana vending machine tomorrow. Financed, right?

[Stan Carpenter]

That's what I said. You can spend time trying to pronounce financing or you can actually finance and buy your car. Today on Carvana financing, subject credit approval.

[Woody Overton]

Additional terms and conditions may apply.

[Stan Carpenter]

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney prior to enduring any question. If you can't afford one, the court will point one for you. Do you understand your rights.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And the wall your CL.

[Stan Carpenter]

You running over, that's for sure.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You already know all about you.

[Woody Overton]

Cut.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You down no matter about you.

[Stan Carpenter]

Now.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You better watch the.

[Stan Carpenter]

Warning. This episode of Real Life Real Crime. The podcast may contain descriptions of acts of violence or that of a sexual nature and should be for people that are 18 years or older. He my warning people. I do not get the facts of these cases off of the Internet or from some television show. The facts I'm retelling you were presented to me by the victims of the crimes or the perpetrators who committed the crimes against the victims. My descriptions of the crime scenes, what I saw with my own two eyes. If you're gonna get offended, please turn this podcast off now. Thank you. Hello everybody and welcome to this episode of Real Life, Real Crime, the podcast. As always, I'm your host, Woody Overton. And today I'm going to be continuing the behind the scenes podcast, the Livingston Paris Sheriff's Office Sheriff Jason Zard's podcast that I was a guest on. And this is part two where we talk about Ms. Barbara Blunt's case. Now, if you haven't listened to part one, we. We dropped it. Of course they dropped it on their behind The Scenes podcast, y' all go like, follow, subscribe to them. They're doing some great stuff. I mean, they really, really are for the people Livingston Parish and pushing out information, etc. Now this second episode, Ms. Barbara Blunt episode that we're discussing, the MO Cheat Detective Stan Carpenter actually is on this episode. And the sheriff asked me to sit in before I left and I did. Now, this man and I came up together. He was over narcotics when I made detectives. And then he ended up being promoted to Chief of Detectives. And we went to war a lot of times against the bad people and the powers that be. Stan Carpenter is super knowledgeable, always, always was and always will be. And I totally believe that they did everything they could do to get justice from Ms. Barbara Blunt. Now, that being said, I also believe, keep calling in your tips. There's one tip out there that's going to break this straw, that's going to break the camel's back. And I've told y' all that many, many times. And I totally believe that's true. Uh, I know they are actively working it. And kudos to Sheriff Art and the behind the Scenes podcast pushing out this three part series. There'll be another one next week and so go listen to it. And we got a lot of tips since the, the first one aired last week. And in Sheriff Ard and I communicated again about the case. So it's, it's not a cold case. It's being worked. And their time, I'm praying their time is almost up. They're, they are being the bad people, the people that murdered Ms. Barbara. All right. And really want to bring her body home, y'.

[Woody Overton]

All.

[Stan Carpenter]

That's what it's all about. So listen to this episode behind the Scenes Podcast with Sheriff Jason Ard. Go find it anywhere you can download a podcast in the world, just like real life, real crime and follow them, y' all subscribe and like they, they're really doing some cool stuff and it's different. They don't, you know, they've done a lot of cool stuff like Chris Hansen in this child predator cases and they get in just really, really cool stuff. Just go listen to it. And if you're, if I look. If you live in Livingston's parish, download behind the Scenes the podcast. So you get alert, follow them, subscribe to them. So you get the alerts every time the new podcast comes out. And so y' all listen to it. Mo chief, Mo mentor and boss. Until the day I left the sheriff's office, he, he was the chief of Detectives Stan Carpenter, Sheriff Ard and I talking about miss Barbara Blunt's disappearance. But we know it's a murder, so here it is. Love y'. All. Peace.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

This podcast episode may contain explicit material.

[Stan Carpenter]

Listener viewer discretion is advised.

[Woody Overton]

The intention is not to offend, but provide information.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Proceed only if you are comfortable with potentially sensitive content. Hello, everyone. Welcome to behind the Scenes with Sheriff Jason Ard. I'm Jason Ard. We started this podcast to educate everyone on the role of the Livingston Ferris Sheriff's Office. We're about serving and protecting our community. On this podcast, we will tackle lots of topics. Good afternoon, everyone. We are here at the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office training facility in our studio. And I have a guest here that is just the. Probably one of my. My heroes, the iconic Mr. Stan Carpenter. Stan, how long you've been with the Sheriff's office? Let's not count how many times you left and came back.

[Woody Overton]

Let's just start, I think in 1986. So however long that's been, really, I've gone a year or so retirement, then I've been back with you.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I just won't tell you where I was in 1986.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah. And so many else in this room too.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I think that's right. Well, I appreciate you being here. We won't be tackling the Barbara Blunt case. Previously, we had Woody Overton on the show and he is actually with us again. Actually, he decided to sit in.

[Stan Carpenter]

Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. And Stan was my chief at the Texas.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Oh yeah, Stan has. He's definitely been around the block and I know you've worked a ton of cases and a very well seasoned person when it comes to investigations and, and any type of crime that's happened in the parish. He was the guy that we called and, and got it done. But I want to go right, get right into it and, and one of the things that we. Obviously, I know you and I have talked about cold cases and in the previous show with Woody, we wanted to point out, you know, this is not a cold case. This is very much an active case that we're working. But I know you, Stan, have been around and you've had several other cold case cases that you and I have like, discussed and there's only a few, not even a handful out there in our parish. And that's a tribute to the investigative work that y' all have done over the years and have known to be, hey, boots on the ground, all hands on deck, get this thing solved as quick as possible. But I Want to take us back to May 2, 2008, 17 years ago. We get a call. Ms. Barbara Blunt is missing. And you get on the scene. There's a lot of things that stacked against you. One is mother nature. We'll get into that. And immediately after you get there, maybe before you even get there, there's her cars found like a quarter mile down the road on a hunting club. And so you get to call. I don't even think you're actually working.

[Woody Overton]

Well, it's not.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And take us, take us through that, that moment when you kind of get the call on the bar Blunt case.

[Woody Overton]

I was, I was at my camp on the river. It was on a Friday, member correctly, and came back and went out and went out to the scene. And like we had talked before, like y' all to talk previously. It was. House was very, very clean. Ms. Blunt was an immaculate housekeeper. I can remember the carpet on the floor was very, very light colored, you know, rural area. You had to pretty much know where she lived to get there. Just giving somebody directions and telling them to go there. It would be hard to find off the roadway. Strictly rural. Everything was just like I said, the bedroom, bed made, everything was, was immaculate. And pots and pans and, and kitchen utensils and stuff were on the floor on the kitchen. And I think the door was open. And it was, it was bizarre because it was a crime scene. You knew that there was a problem there. And, and knowing her from what every, from what everybody had told me when I got there and the information that I have on the phone, the type of person she was, like we'd said a while ago, Woody, when we were talking, you and I were talking before, she's not that person that was just going to just up and disappear for a few days and then mysteriously just come back home and say, I've been with a friend that so. And so she wasn't that person. So you kind of knew just from the, just from the lay of the land, the way things looked, that there was a, there was a problem.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, I think there was some, even some windows open. So like signs of, I guess spring cleaning as you. You can say people. She, she went in and was airing her house out, just cleaning, doing what she does. I think that was kind of what she was.

[Woody Overton]

And I think her purse was there and there. There were just other things like the, the bedroom and everything. Everything. Nothing was out of place other than the, the things that were to be cleaned, you know, clean the cabinets and put the stuff right back in the cabinets. And that was, that was just, it was just strange. You could, you could sense the strangeness in there when you went in because you knew that she just wasn't going to just appear.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right?

[Woody Overton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And that's that intuition. You get a gut feeling that, you know what, he now said it previously. This, this is, she's not missing. She was murdered. We know this. We, you know, it's our job to prove it. But you know that, that's what it was. When I think there was a cordless phone, you remember the cordless phone was on the carport. On the carport area where her car was kind of where her car would.

[Stan Carpenter]

Have been parked at it almost like it was dropped because the back of the coral's phone, the battery was right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

It was definitely dropped. Yeah, I, I agree with you. I remember seeing that specifically and, and then the car, do you remember the model car she had?

[Woody Overton]

It was a, I think it was a silver colored Toyota four door and might have been a. They're, they're not a mid sized car, but not their smaller car. Maybe a, you know, not a Tercel but a larger, larger Toyota car. And that was Camry maybe.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

What was, was the car found before y' all got to the scene? Like you already had two scenes.

[Woody Overton]

I'm not, I don't. The water was coming up so fast because it was. I can remember driving over there from, from, from where I was. It was like rain was like really coming down. It was really, really hard rain. And they, I think they got it out just before it really went under. You know, that type of thing.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, I think it was from, from what I, some of the photo was like. Right. Just got into the floorboard of the car. Whenever the wrecker was able to get.

[Woody Overton]

It out of there, they wouldn't. I don't, and I don't know in that area as deep set water was. I don't know if it would, if they wouldn't have, if somebody wouldn't have seen it and it wouldn't have gotten out when it did. It might have been completely under, you know, because it had that much rain. And I think we talked earlier, you know, just how hard it had rained because the next morning when they were, they were out there doing the searches. A man I had mentioned it was up on, I think it was a whole lane was out there and was going to get a horse over into that wooded area and when the horse stepped off into the water, it completely went underwater and the man was chest deep in on the horse and the Horse didn't have a place to get back up and he had to go through the trees in the woods to get to land to be able to get. Get back on land. And it was just like. It was crazy. It was just coming down so hard.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

But it couldn't get a helicopter on. Thinking there anything, right?

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

You know, because they were. They were grounded due to the inclement weather.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You know, one of the things that I would like to talk about, I know when you go in the crime scene, her home and you know, we didn't. I mean, we had cell phones in 2008. It wasn't to the technology we have today. But y' all recovered her cell phone and maybe picked up what she. Her hardline and like who she last talked to. And you felt pretty sure that she didn't leave that house alone or she may have went up to meet somebody, but you couldn't prove that she actually went to meet somebody who felt like she didn't leave there by herself.

[Woody Overton]

That's correct. Chuck Watts and Kevin Harrell and I know Ben Bourgeois, current chief Dees. Now, they put a lot of time in on this case and they were there. And like I said, they did a. For what we had to go on and what we did, they did an outstanding job there and collecting of evidence. And like I think we all know before, because us three have been involved in investigations before. You follow the evidence, you know, you go ahead and you do. And after you've done and you've exhausted all of that, then you start going and you start talking to people like you say. And we canvassed, we did that for days and talking to people and trying to get that little bit of information that somebody might have. And then once you get a little bit, then you've got to check it out for credibility and see if that person is actually giving you good information.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

And so we were. It was just really. It was challenging to say the least. And those guys, our section did, I think, an outstanding job doing what they could with what we had. Because back and y' all remember back in those days, we weren't. We didn't have the number of people that we had in detectives and all in different divisions at that time. And the same guys that were out here doing this worked really, really hard. And other detectives were still having to catch up and take up some of the slack. And because I think again, we had.

[Stan Carpenter]

Like eight people, eight detectives for everything. And that's what Garvis cant did it.

[Woody Overton]

They did it. That same guy that was working at Homicide, was doing an internal investigation. You always had a heavy caseload. You always had follow ups that you had to do. And I mean they, they worked this stuff and we, we, they worked very, very hard. Those three guys in particular did an outstanding job.

[Stan Carpenter]

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[Woody Overton]

This is the story of the One.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

He's responsible for keeping a leading healthcare.

[Stan Carpenter]

Facility clean and safe.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And he trusts Grainger's high quality H vac cleaning and safety products combined with their world class supply chain to consistently deliver.

[Stan Carpenter]

Ensuring he's covered inside and out so.

[Woody Overton]

He can focus on, on keeping his.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Facility clean to help protect the health of everyone inside. Call 1-800-granger clickranger.com or just stop by.

[Woody Overton]

Granger for the ones who get it done. Our federal partners FBI came in and I remember Matt Carter, he was one of the FBI agents who came out. They did everything we asked them to do. And the crime lab, man, they've always done outstanding work. And they came out, took the car, had to put it on a rollback, took it back to Baton Rouge. And that was back when Pat Lane and them were there, you know, and those guys did outstanding work. And when you got something back from them, it was, it was top shelf. You got what you got a good, you got a good sense of what was going on and they did. We followed all the evidence. I think we really did everything. Everything right. I think we did. We did. It's. It was like what he said while those. Like the perfect storm.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

Everything went against us.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Well, you know, whenever I was reading over the case file, like, so Chuck Watts, and we're going to be hearing from him eventually. As well as Kevin Harrell were the two actual assigned detectives their case.

[Woody Overton]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You had mentioned him earlier. And then Ben Bourgeois was there as well, kind of helping out. And Ben, who is now the chief detective, have really, really like, he has never let go of this and he's not going to. You know, he. He really takes this to heart and. But looking over this file as many times I've looked over it, y' all talk to so many people. I mean, it was a lot of people that were interviewed and a lot of information. And I mean, if you just initially go through just the people we talked to, I mean, y' all probably had a dozen or more suspects just from talking to people. The community. And this has always been in Livingston Perry. We're very blessed with our community here when it comes to. To having to get. Helping us to get information. Community gets involved. They don't like crime. They want to give you the information they have. And I remember there was a lot of people trying to help with this. But. And you mentioned earlier too, you went days. I think it was more like months and turned into years, obviously, that y' all worked this case tirelessly every single day.

[Woody Overton]

And a lot of that stuff too was done. Sheriff on, you know, like, they get. We'd get a call. I mean, a lot of these guys weren't on the clock. But I know, I know that Chuck and Benny and Kevin, they would. They got. If they got a tip or got any information. Everything was followed up on. Nothing was left to chance. There's always. If there was somebody to talk to, they talked to them. Many of them were talked to numerous times, you know, because everybody was a suspect. This is this, you know, and you mentioned it a while ago when you two guys were talking about, you know, good victims. You know, a lot of the stuff that you work, you know, you got to two bad guys out there. And not that. Not that they don't deserve to have their case cleared. I don't mean that. But this lady was really something special. And she. Her family, she had two sisters that. That Chuck had really gotten. Gotten a rapport with. And they. They talk constantly and I mean, we're talking for. For years, probably daily.

[Stan Carpenter]

And her Twin sister.

[Woody Overton]

Well, I know that there, the two of them, one of them, I think, I think one has passed away since then. And Again, this is 17 years ago and a lot of things have, a lot of things have really changed. And, but they were, they were on top of it. And Chuck and Benny especially kept him abreast of everything that was going on. And, and, and we really felt comfortable talking to them and they were, man, they were just so saddened by this because it was just, you know, we've had people say that it was akin to the rapture, because all of a sudden she's just gone and all. And we, we, we all had a special place with it because we got close to the family, to the sisters, you know.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. You know, and it hits home. These communities, small town communities, which is, you know, over in Libby's pair, some of them are going away because the population is growing so fast here. But it's just, it does, it hits home with everybody. They all knew who she was. She was a very special lady, hard worker. I think she took it, she had, she had cattle and stuff she took care of at the time by herself.

[Stan Carpenter]

The night before she went missing, her son said one of the cows got his head stuck in the gate. She's over there wrangling the cow.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Oh, I remember that. Yeah. This is crazy. I mean, she, she was just, she.

[Stan Carpenter]

Was that person and she cried, cook breakfast for her kids every morning and her husband was deceased. I mean, she goes to church numerous times a week. Just a really fine lady.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Never had any, anybody said anything negative about her. And you said it earlier. I mean, she, she was such a well respected, well liked person and that's just who she was. And this is a, what was a true victim.

[Woody Overton]

You know, I remember Chuck had said that she had a computer there. And I mean, you know, going back 17 years, technology has probably changed so much. And, and, and we, you know, we were getting into the computer stuff at the office at that time because times had changed. And I think they went ahead and looked into her computer and everything and there was, you know, and all the stuff that they did, the searching and all that, there was nothing ever negative about her.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right, right.

[Woody Overton]

There was never anybody that ever put anything, anything bad out there. I don't know what kind of social media they had back then.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

But she just, she was just a real nice lady and very well respected.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

And very well loved by her, her family.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

Sisters.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You know, Stan, when, when it kind of go back to the scene that day and as you get there and you're going over and processing everything. I mean, I know your, your, your tactics because we worked together so long, you know, like I said, all hands on deck. You have people going throughout the community getting these tips, turn them into you and also know you well enough that you were getting a lot of information coming straight directly to you so you could get it to the sheriff or in the proper hands, that kind of stuff. But just our listeners out there, when you just look through this whole crime scene and you, as you walking through that, what are some things that just like bothered you? If you have anything that I jumped out at you that was really just mind boggling to you, that just.

[Woody Overton]

The whole thing, like I say, when you. It's just the idea of going into the house and knowing. Knowing something's wrong.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

I mean for an outside we knew. But I mean, I'm saying like for outsider to come in there and just see everything like it is and then there's just like, like nobody there. It was, yeah, it was. The whole, the whole thing was strange and, and talking with her family and all and, and that's just the idea of not knowing anything. Just, just going in there and just looking around and then, and you could sit, you could sense something wrong and then going in for so long because like a lot of people thought, well, if she's in there in the woods or whatever, somebody's taking there and murdered, done anything. Yeah. Because the water was so deep everywhere, all the surrounding area, like when the water goes down, well, maybe they'll go ahead and they'll find her then.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

And then like the hunting season coming up. Well, the deer hunters or rabbit hunters especially will go in there and they'll be able to find her. Because I remember they had an equestrian group come over from Texas.

[Stan Carpenter]

Remember that?

[Woody Overton]

They came over and they. And it was, I think some bold statements were made. Like, she's there, you know, she's there. We're going to find her and we're going to. And you know, like two or three days later also they pull up and they're gone. You know, because it was the way everything was in the water went down. She wasn't there.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

You know, that was. And that's what we were kind of thinking also, you know, that maybe it was in. It's just like nothing panned out.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

And going back and talking to these people that we interviewed as suspect, they were, they were interviewed multiple times. Some of them.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

You know, talk to them a bunch of different times. And so Just hit it on. Somebody knows something.

[Stan Carpenter]

Absolutely.

[Woody Overton]

If they're, if they're not dead now after 17 years, somebody knows something. And it, and all it takes is somebody to come forward to plant that seed and get this thing to working up like that. It's just, you know, it's. I hope that if there is somebody out there that they really get into this and they know what this family has gone through and it's, it needs to be cleared. We need to clear it.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. And I think she had a reputation too, of kind of like you said earlier, Woody. I mean, she was wrangled a cow earlier that day. She was very, for her age. She was a very strong person that could take care of herself, that could possibly put up a pretty good fire struggle.

[Stan Carpenter]

Very strong. She also was no stranger to firearms. She had her pistol, she had all these different things and, and dogs at the house. So if somebody's pulling up to the house, the country, you live in the country like I do, your dogs are going to lurch you before they get in the driveway. Right. So the. How they get her out of the house without them catching some lead or her hitting them in the head being blood. Yeah. Her putting up a struggle.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Well, it makes you, makes you wonder if it was, you know, someone she knew that lured her away from that house, that she trusted, you know, momentarily.

[Stan Carpenter]

Possibly under a cause in my brain, you know, she'll show up in the door. Whether she, she knows them, how well she knows them, I don't know, but they're like, oh, got this emergency. And what would cause you to drop everything and run out of your house if you miss Barbara client.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

Well, I think a lot of people have got a lot of different ideas, like you say, you know, different things that they, you know, and, and that, that, that kind of got to us too, because everything, again, anytime somebody had a hunch or an idea, whatever, and it was brought to our attention, somebody followed up on that.

[Stan Carpenter]

Yeah, absolutely. And I said, I said it on my shows and I've been saying all these years, I got the case filed way like 12 years after something like that. And I went through it fresh set eyes like you were talking about when we talked earlier. And there's not one single thing, not one interview or anything that I would have done different. The, there's just. But it was, everything was working against Job, you know, the elements, you know, everything.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, it was, it was stacked up against us. I mean, that's, that's how some of these, these cases go. But, you know, one of the things that you know, and you just go through it more. You read. And every time I've read this case, you know, you have different angles kind of come up in your head. What about this? What about that? And I remember specifically, Stan, it was. It was. You probably don't remember this, but it was probably about two or three years after this happened, you. You came into my office and we were talking about a new tip and possibly a relative. And, And. And I think it was just some information that y' all already followed, but y' all went and did it again. Like you still went out there. Even though you've already been out there. It felt like like a dozen times, you still went out there and done it again. And because that's what you got to do in these cases, you. You might have missed something when you went out there the last.

[Woody Overton]

You know, we went in one time in particular, Chuck and I, when I think to New Orleans to Moisan and got a guy off an airplane that we got some information on. And we knew. We knew that he was. He was alibi. I'd come to find out. I think he worked for an oil company. He did electrical instrumentation or something, and he was in Africa working. And we still knew, but we still talked.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You wanted to make sure.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah, just. Yeah, just. Just to make sure, you know, so every. Everything that those guys did, and again, Chuck and Kevin and. And Benny, really, they really gave it Sunday punch. They worked. I worked very hard, and. And I'm very proud of what they did. Even though it hadn't cleared yet. Whenever it does, those guys will definitely deserve an atta boy because they work very hard on this case.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. And look, they stay interested in it, too. They. They've. Anytime that we've got a tip or, you know, when you see them run into them, they always kind of ask, you know, what's going on with the case. So, you know, one. Chuck since retired, Kevin's still with us. He's in another position now. He's one of our captains, but they're still very much involved in the office. But, you know, one of the things that. Again, I just want to make sure that people that are listening out there, although it was 17 years ago, there's. There's a lot of days that feels like it happened yesterday.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right. Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You know, and it's. It's something we don't ever want to forget. We never want to forget this case. We never want people to shy away giving us information. And not only can you, you know, send tips in to Us, Woody Overton has a tip line as well that if you want to announce it again, I know you did on a previous show, but he's got a brand new tip line as well. And look, the reason I bring this up is there is, I understand I'm, I'm a normal person on the side here that there are some times where you may not want to talk to law enforcement for whatever rhyme or reason. If you feel more comfortably, you know, contacting, you know, Mr. Overton, then contact him. You know, he has means of doing that, too. And we work well together. What do you have that information?

[Stan Carpenter]

I do. And it's 313-R-L r c tip tip or 313-757-2847 can remain completely anonymous. But call it in, y'. All. I'm telling you, it's that little one. It's a little one that you, that little nagging thought you've had in your head all these years. Call it in.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. And then I just, and I want to say something that you saying. You had said it earlier. It was so many people that helped with this case and properly tell them. Thank you. The volunteers as you all listening to the program and hope there's a lot of you tuned in. And I feel pretty confident that the person that did this is going to be tuned in. He's probably already listening to Woody shows. And I know that they're already probably going to be tuning into this one because that's what they do, I promise you. And you know, you said something that I always give credit where credit is due. And you said something and I'm going to continue to use is that, you know, he's been lucky every day and, but we just need to get lucky one time and we're going to get lucky sooner or later.

[Stan Carpenter]

They have to be lucky every single day. And you're listening right now. You have to be lucky every day. Sheriff Harden them only has to get lucky.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yes. And we're going to get that. We again keep sending those tips in. You know, Stan, on these cases like this, and I know you have so many of them that you worked over the years. I consider you kind of like my law enforcement dad. I've said that to you before because you, you've always been around since, you know, our upbringing, same as Woody, I.

[Stan Carpenter]

Mean, brought me up.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

We learned so much. I got to tell a story. Not to take away from the Barbara Blunt case, but as we get out of here, I was riding in a vehicle one day with Sheriff Graves and I know he's going to remember this. Who hears this, but he was riding in the vehicle with me, I was riding with him, and we just had this conversation about my future. And of course, I didn't know his thoughts about, you know, where I was going to be at today. But I told him, I said, you know, I really have a lot of respect for Stan and hopefully one day I'm gonna, you know, be like Stan Carpenter. I want to be, you know, where he's at. And he kind of took a little bit of offense. He said, so that's all you want to be. Like saying Carpenter. Well, I mean, I was in my 20s. Yeah, that's right. I want to be that investigator that people look up to and, and be able to solve those cases. And, you know, he just so much walking knowledge with you. It really is. And we've always valued your opinion on these cases and you have seen a lot of history here in Livingston Parish. Like I said, this is one of thousands and thousands of cases that you've been involved in over the years. And so I appreciate your service to our community and appreciate you being involved in the Barbara Blunt case. And I know that anytime we've ever needed anything, you come a running, you know, even when you retired for a short time for reasons that you needed to, that, that if we would call you, you, you would answer that call quickly and do what you could to help us. And. And so I greatly appreciate that. And so kind of as we wrap up the show, you know, what do you got anything you want to.

[Stan Carpenter]

I want to say Stan was my second chief after Norris Hole, but yeah, I remember when he was over in narcotics too, but I gleaned so much from them the. Over the years, and it made me the investigator that I was. So I. When you talk about Benny and Chuck and Kevin and all them working this case, I know we have Stan Coffin was your chief. I know how that case got worked. Right. And it was. It's hard to the wall, non stop. And. And you know, I just. Y' all calling Utah. Let these guys do what they do and ladies do what they do and get justice for Ms. Barbara Blunt.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Stan, you get anything?

[Woody Overton]

No, not really. I'm kind of like Woody, you know, I mean, if there's somebody out there that knows something, tell something. We'd like to clear it. And Ms. Blunt deserves justice.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yes, we appreciate it. Look, I appreciate both you being here. Woody Overton, Real life, Real Crime, very successful podcast.

[Stan Carpenter]

Yeah, I appreciate you having me. It's been real honorable to be here after 18 years since I've been in this building. We're not even in this building.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

But yeah, on the premises for sure.

[Stan Carpenter]

Yeah. And I appreciate y' all and everything that job always done for me.

[Woody Overton]

And something else was said a while ago, not to interrupt, but like y' all had said like every, every four years. This, this, this is 247 with this office on clearing this case.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

For anybody to say that they are way, way off base.

[Stan Carpenter]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

These people have put a lot of effort into it and we want to see it cleared.

[Stan Carpenter]

Way more effort than anybody will ever know.

[Woody Overton]

That's exactly right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And we'll continue to do that. And look, if, if you're enjoying the podcast, remember to follow us on YouTube or whatever you listening platform you may be using. Doing this is completely free and it's a great way to stay alerted on new episodes. And we're going to go ahead. It's going to be it behind the scenes with Sheriff Jason R. Thank you, Stan Carpenter, Woody Overton for being the guest on the show. And again, prayers go out to Barbara Blunt and the family. And, and look, I'm gonna go ahead and say prayers going out to the person who did this because they're gonna.

[Stan Carpenter]

Be caught very soon and you better be scared.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

That's right. So with that look, we appreciate all of you listening. Download our LPSO app, follow us on social media. And as always in Livingston Parish. We love our schools, we love our churches and we absolutely believe in the second amendment. Be safe and God bless each and every one of you.

[Stan Carpenter]

Yeah. The right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Your rights. An attorney prior to enduring any question. If you can't afford one, the court will one for you. Do you understand your rights.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

When the W is at your.

[Stan Carpenter]

Runnings over?

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

That's for sure. Already know you.

[Woody Overton]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Sheriff Jason Ard]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Sheriff Jason Ard]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Stan Carpenter]

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[Sheriff Jason Ard]

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