Real Life Real Crime | Behind The Scenes with Sheriff Ard: Barbara Blount ep 5

Summary

Podcast Summary: Real Life Real Crime | Behind The Scenes with Sheriff Ard: Barbara Blount Ep 5

Episode Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Woody Overton (Real Life Real Crime Productions)
Featuring: Sheriff Jason Ard (Livingston Parish), Detective Ben “Benny” Bourgeois (Chief Detective, LPSO)
Main Theme: Final reflections, investigative updates, and community appeal in the unsolved disappearance and murder of Barbara Blount, a beloved Livingston Parish resident missing since 2008.

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Overview

This episode concludes a multi-part series focused on the cold case of Barbara Blount, with Sheriff Jason Ard and Chief Detective Ben “Benny” Bourgeois providing an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective. The conversation recounts investigative challenges, community involvement, lessons learned, and renewed hope in seeking closure for Barbara's family. Throughout, the hosts stress the importance of public tips and their commitment to “never letting this case go cold.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Remarks and the Series’ Purpose

• Woody Overton underscores the urgency of solving Barbara Blount’s case and thanks Sheriff Ard for broadening the investigation’s reach through cross-podcast appearances.
  • “We know she's been murdered. We need to bring her body home. We need to get some justice in this case…Just need a little bit more to get it beyond a reasonable doubt. Just let's bring her home. Okay? We can't do it without you.” (Woody Overton, 03:31)
• Sheriff Ard frames the episode as both a wrap-up of the investigative process and a demonstration of transparency: “We started this podcast to educate everyone on the role of the [Livingston Parish] Sheriff's Office. We're about serving and protecting our community.” (Sheriff Ard, 06:28)

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Introducing the Guests & Their Experience

• Sheriff Ard and Det. Bourgeois (“Benny”) reminisce about their long careers and high-profile cases, illustrating their decades-long partnership and shared dedication.
  • Benny has been a detective for 26 years and notes, “It's been with me since, well, 17 years.” (13:25)
  • Sheriff Ard: “And I've watched you. Has made this case very personable to you.” (13:14)

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Re-examining Old Leads with Fresh Eyes

• Recent efforts included re-interviewing original detectives Chuck Watts and Kevin Harrell, former chief detective Stan Carpenter, and Deputy Derek Bozeman—who originally found Barbara’s car as a teenager.
• Sheriff Ard describes debunking a persistent rumor about Barbara being seen roadside with a “young man with dirty blonde hair”—revealed to be Deputy Bozeman with his mother:
  • “We were able to basically rule that out, because we identified that to being Derek Bozeman alongside of his mother, who actually…resembled Barbara Blount.” (11:39)

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The Relentless Pursuit of Every Lead

• Ben details how, after 17 years, new tips still regularly arrive: “We follow up on every tip we get. We've been to different states, several different states. We've did polygraphs, we did DNA…it's a nonstop investigation and it's never gonna stop until we get to the end of it.” (14:18)
• Both stress the open-mindedness required—pursuing everything, including tips from psychics or unconventional sources:
  • “If it's a lead. We're going on it. And it's…some of them are very interesting.” (Detective Bourgeois, 21:53)
  • “We don't just turn that away and say, well, that's just silly.” (Sheriff Ard, 22:53)

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The Clean Crime Scene and Barbara Blount as a Person

• The detectives discuss the remarkable cleanliness of Barbara’s home, making evidence collection challenging and suggesting the perpetrator might have been someone she trusted:
  • “There wasn't much of a crime scene…you could have seen anything out of place had it been, you know, a struggle.” (Det. Bourgeois, 25:05 & 25:21)
• They paint a vivid picture of Barbara’s character: “She was a very capable woman…even at her age, of defending and taking care of herself.” (Sheriff Ard, 25:55)
• Background: Barbara was a 58-year-old widow, deeply religious, and wholly devoted to her family and her land—making the “voluntary disappearance” theory implausible: “She was a clean, pure victim…She never remarried. She never dated. She stuck to being faithful not only to God, but also to her family and her husband.” (Det. Bourgeois, 26:19)

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Details of the Day She Disappeared

• Discussion on the weather’s impact: torrential rains, flooded roads, and practical hurdles in recovering evidence from Barbara’s car.
  • “We were fighting weather conditions…makes it difficult to process a scene when you have to bring the scene somewhere else.” (Sheriff Ard, 29:32 & 29:49)
• Collaborations with Louisiana State Police and FBI—use of neighborhood surveys and criminal profilers.
  • “It was a big deal to have the FBI come help assist…we never thought that we were, you know, too good to ask for assistance.” (Sheriff Ard, 30:33 & 31:43)

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Community and Continued Hope

• The case’s rarity in Livingston Parish heightened public concern and resources committed: “When we did have one [homicide], everybody came out. All hands on deck.” (Sheriff Ard, 33:11 & 33:15)
• Extensive original searches included dogs, helicopters, horses, and volunteers from Texas: “I don't think there was an inch of ground for miles around that it wasn't walked over.” (Det. Bourgeois, 33:41)

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Challenges & Theories

• One of the main sticking points—the “clean” crime scene—fuels speculation:
  • “People say, well, it had to be somebody that knew her…was it someone that said, ‘hey, your cows are out, come quick,’ you know, or ‘your kid’s been in an accident, jump in the car’…?” (Det. Bourgeois, 35:41)
• They believe the abduction likely occurred outside the house: “I do not believe anyone went in there and got her. I believe…whatever happened, happened outside.” (Det. Bourgeois, 36:10)
• Discussion of small details, like the placement of Barbara’s keys and phone, and how weather that day could explain certain anomalies.
• Sheriff Ard suspects the vehicle was deliberately moved a quarter mile, perhaps as part of a premeditated plan: “It was absolutely planned out.” (36:52)

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Community Engagement & Call to Action

• Det. Bourgeois urges anyone with information to come forward:
  • “You can call the sheriff's office…ask for me personally. I promise you I'll respond back quickly. Or you can go through our LPSO app…call Crime Stoppers…and they'll even pay you…” (38:38)
• Sheriff Ard and Det. Bourgeois express gratitude for public involvement and reiterate that “every single tip matters,” even if previously investigated.

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Message for the Perpetrator

• Benny addresses the likely perpetrator directly:
  • “I would say that he might asleep with one eye open. He, she, whoever's involved, whoever's responsible. And that hopefully one day it's me and you that get to go through his door, her door, and put them in cuffs and take them to justice for Ms. Barbara Blunt. And I believe that day's coming.” (39:48)

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Notable Quotes By Topic

About the Investigation’s Persistence

• “It's a nonstop investigation and it's never gonna stop until we get to the end of it.”
  —Det. Ben Bourgeois (14:18)

• “We don't turn down anything. No matter your belief…a tip’s a tip, and you just never know what you’re going to come across.”
  —Sheriff Jason Ard (22:08)

On Barbara Blount’s Character

• “She was a very capable woman…even at her age, of defending and taking care of herself.”
  —Sheriff Jason Ard (25:55)
• “She was just a clean, pure victim…She was big with her church…her faith with God, her family, then her friends.”
  —Det. Ben Bourgeois (26:19)

On the Crime Scene

• “There wasn't much of a crime scene. That was a problem, the way she lived, as clean as she was.”
  —Det. Ben Bourgeois (25:05)

Community and Collaboration

• “We was open arms to anybody that wanted to come in and assist us…FBI, state police…that’s their expertise, that’s what they do every day.”
  —Det. Ben Bourgeois (32:12)

Hope and Commitment

• “We only got to get lucky once.”
  —Sheriff Jason Ard (24:17)
• “I feel very confident that [the day the case breaks] is coming.”
  —Sheriff Jason Ard (34:18)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:31 – Woody sets the scene: urgency of the case, call for tips.
• 06:28 – Sheriff Ard introduces the “Behind the Scenes” approach.
• 13:25 – Benny: personal investment, 17 years’ dedication.
• 14:18 – Investigative process—every tip matters, multi-state efforts.
• 21:53 – Unconventional leads, psychic tips, out-of-the-box thinking.
• 24:46 – Details on the cleanliness of scene and Barbara’s lifestyle.
• 25:49 – Barbara’s physical capability and independence.
• 29:32 – Weather’s impact on evidence collection.
• 30:03 – FBI involvement; early use of profilers.
• 33:17–33:41 – Massive original search efforts described.
• 35:09–37:59 – Challenges: clean scene, possible approaches, and theories.
• 38:38 – How to submit a tip.
• 39:48 – Ben’s message to the perpetrator.

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode is marked by heartfelt urgency, respect for the victim, frustration at the case’s longevity, and a determined optimism that justice will eventually be achieved. The hosts speak with the authority of seasoned investigators but remain approachable and deeply empathetic, both toward the family and the audience who care about Barbara’s fate.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode is a moving, detailed account of a small-town law enforcement team’s relentless pursuit of justice in a perplexing, devastating cold case. It captures both the science and the soul of criminal investigation—reminding listeners that, after 17 years, the search for truth and closure is as alive as ever, powered by humanity, diligence, and hope.

If you have any information regarding the case of Barbara Blount, contact the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office at 225-686-2241, reach out anonymously via Crime Stoppers, or use the LPSO app. The community’s continued involvement is crucial to finally solving this case.

Transcript

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[Woody Overton]

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 and during any question. If you can't afford one, the court appoint one for you. Do you understand your rights.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

When the.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Wolf is at your close, you running.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Over, that's for sure. You Already know all of about you cut you down no matter about you now you better walk alive.

[Woody Overton]

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 for some television show. The facts I'm retelling you will 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 going to get offended, please turn this podcast off now. Thank you. Hello, everybody. And I'm Woody Overton, your host of Real Life, Real Crime, the podcast. Today we're going to be continuing in concluding the series of behind the Scenes Podcast with Sheriff Jason Ard on the case of Ms. Barbara Blunt, who's been. We know she's been murdered. We need to bring her body home. We need to get some justice in this case. And I had the privilege of being on the first two episodes and these last three, y', all, they're just so informative and you know, we share these. This episode was on Sheriff Ford's behind the Scenes podcast because it's getting tips and the more publicity gets out there, the better the chance that we can get justice for Ms. Barbara. So please listen to it now and go like and follow and share. Share Art's behind the Scenes podcast. You can get it anywhere that you can download a podcast in the entire world and prayers for justice and, you know, calling your tips. You can call them in to me at 313RLRCTIP or to call the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, 686-2241. And look, it's being worked, y'. All. We're so close. Just need a little bit more to get it beyond a reasonable doubt. Just let's bring her home. Okay? We can't do it without you. And thank you. And without further ado, here's Cher Sard's behind The Scenes podcast, Ms. Barbara Blunt's case, episode five. Thank you.

[Commercial Announcer]

This podcast episode may contain explicit material. Listener viewer discretion is advised. The intention is not to offend, but to provide information. Proceed only if you are comfortable with potentially sensitive.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

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 Leveson Ferris Sheriff's Office. We're about serving and protecting our community. On this podcast, we Will tackle lots of topics. Today's show, we actually have my chief detective, Ben Bourgeois. I'm glad that Ben is with us today. We're continuing this conversation about Barbara Blunt. I know Ben has a lot of time and effort into this case, without a doubt. So thank you for being here today, Benny, number one.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Thank you for having me.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And we've. You know, Benny, you hadn't. And I'm gonna call you Benny because that's what I call you. But Ben's a major. He's over my investigative division. Has been with the office how many years?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

26.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

26 years. Still remember you as a officer in Springfield back in the day. And, you know, one. One of the things that Benny and I share, which is.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

I have.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I asked this to a lot of people sometimes. And about what. What is your, like, busiest weekend? What do you remember about your career? I've been here 32 years and. And Ben actually probably shares the same. Well, now that you've been in investigation, you have different ones. But I was a detective, and you were a road deputy for Livingston Sheriff's house. You had been on the road, I don't think that long, but you as a road deputy. And I was a new detective, Just stepped down from supervision, went over to detectives and Benny. We got the first call that weekend, the first weekend I was on call by myself. And we got a homicide.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right?

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And then Benny calls me again within 24 hours of that weekend. Actually less than that. Like 12 hours later, we got another homicide. And then we get another homicide. Found a body in Satsuma. So three homicides in one freaking weekend.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That was a busy weekend.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

It was. Every time I get around, I think about that that weekend. And so we're not going to get into all that because this. This episode is. Is kind of focused, not only focusing on the Barbara Blunt case, but kind of wrapping up what we've been doing. So. And I know you. You stay busy, but just so you know, we did some. Some very unique things this time to try to just bring some. Some new. Not really new. They're kind of old because they. They were the detectives that worked the case back in the day. So I actually had retired detective Chuck Watts. He came in. Chuck was the actual detective that was on call. And his partner, Kevin Harrell, who actually is still with us today. Kevin's a captain, but at the time he was a new detective. I think he came home not long after you did. I. I believe. Well, you. You were in narcotics, and I think then you moved over.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Detectives but so I wanted to kind of get their perspective on the case. So it was very interesting listening to, you know, Chuck and Kevin kind of unfolding things from a little bit different light, but also had Stan Carpenter. Well, Stan was actually chief detective then. In your role.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

That you're currently doing today. And so it was really kind of unique listening to Stan, what we call the wise one, but, you know, listen to his stuff. And then I did something even more unique than that. I actually brought in Deputy Bozeman, that works for us, and explained to the listeners that, you know, Derek was actually the kid. And I call him a kid because he was only 18 years old in high school, and he was the one that actually found Barbara Blunt's vehicle.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's great.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Was on Hunt Club Road.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

I believe he was a senior in high school.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yes. And so he took us through that whole story, and it's pretty neat listening, you know, to him. And. And the reason it was really kind of that part of the investigation to us is you and I went a couple of years ago, and. Because that rumor about someone seeing Barbara Blunt standing on the side of the road where her vehicle was found with a young man with dirty blonde hair haunted us for a long time.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

You're right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And. And you and I, one day, I say it may have been three years ago, but we was having a conversation about this, and we said, you know, we fixed to go talk to these people that seen them, and when we're in investigations, we talk about, you get these tips, you investigate these tips until you hit a dead end, you know, but you got it. You got to get to that point. Well, you had felt like it and so about it. We've kind of hit a dead end, but it just kept resurfacing. And so we go and we visit with these people, and we're able to basically rule that out, because we identified that to being Derrick Boseman alongside of his mother, who actually came out there with him and resembled Barbara Blunt.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

So it made sense, and we were able to kind of kick that to the side where, okay, now we know that this was. This is not what happened. So. And saying that, you know, Woody Overton came in, and Woody's been a great asset to us on the. From the outside perspective. He's worked with us over the years. He's been, you know, he was a good detective while he was here. And to have Woody in a position he's in today with a lot of listeners, and he is still very much a person that's capable of doing investigations. He has very good understanding, but he has this reach. And a lot of people call him because maybe they don't, whatever rhyme or reason, they don't trust law enforcement. Maybe they just don't want to talk to us. So all that being said, you know, we've had a good pool of people in here to kind of talk about this case. So I asked you, Benny, to come in today because as we wrap up this episode about Barbara Blunt, I kind of wanted to bring in your perspective and kind of like remind people you were there that day as well.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

As a. Not new.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

New, but a newly newer detective.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

New detective and. And was brought in on the case. And the unique thing about you, Benn stayed in investigations since then.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

A lot of these other ones have gone in other directions, but you've stayed there. And I know that's kind of. And I've watched you. Has made this case very personable to you.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

It does. It's, it's, it's been with me since, well, 17 years. So.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. So I want to tell people, when you hear Barbara Blunt, and I know you get tips because you tell me, hey, I got a tip today on Bar Blunt, you know.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

So let's start with where are we today? Like, where are we at with the Barbara Blunt case?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Well, it's funny you said that because just whenever you started doing some of these other podcasts with these others, we actually, I actually went out and spoke to two people that I've never spoke to about this case that had phoned in and wanted to talk to me about it. So I actually went and met them and sit down and talk with them and that's. They gave us some information we already knew and they gave us some information that kind of puts us in a direction to do some more follow up, which I think is very exciting.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Oh, absolutely.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

We follow up on every tip we get. We've been to different states, several different states. We've did polygraphs, we did DNA. I mean, we've did everything. And now we're always going back doing any follow up on. Oh, ideas that we have new detectives coming in and saying, hey, did y' all think about this or that? Most time it's, that's already been covered. But hey, let's go over it again, you know, so it's a non stop investigation and it's never gonna stop until we get to the end of it.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. And it just, and I know that when you say you, you go to a lot of places. I know that you went. So some of the places more than once.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And then we get some of the same tips and we. And one thing I got to say about Benny and the way that I'm very proud of how we conduct our work, it doesn't matter if it's the same tip.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

It doesn't matter.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

We still follow up on it. We still make sure we relook at it because maybe we did miss something. We've never tried to say, well, you know, we. We ain't fooling with that. We know that's not a dead end. You have never taken that stance. You've always had the attitude of get it done right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

And we get on it right. Then we don't let it sit because we want to get something. Maybe they got something fresh in their mind even though they've told us this story in the past. What if they tell us something that has come to them or something they didn't think about then that really, you know, may be a new tip to us or new information, something else we can go follow up on? So, yeah, if they. If anytime there's a tip, whether it's one that we've heard about in the past or knew, we. We're definitely jump on it right then.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And that's. And that's awesome to know that you are doing that. And it's again. And these. These are the type of cases, too, that is frustrating and it's very challenging to you because you sometimes you get so excited about a tip and it hits a dead end.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And so that's just. That's our life. That's what we do.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

All cases kind of somewhat are like that sometimes. So as these tips come in, what. What is like today? What the. I know you just got some tips in. So over the years, how many. How many tips on the Barber want case do you think that we've gotten over the years?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Over the years, probably hundreds, possibly, because.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I know that it seems like you call me very often with tips on Barbara Bond, which says a lot about our community and a lot about those that are listening that want to help with this case. And. And so what about these, as you think is you. I know you've. We've had a lot of people try to help us in other ways, like psychics, right. That have reached out to us. And you've even went down to Lafayette and. And with. I want you to tell us about that. You remember that you had to go to a house and. And Lafayette didn't they have. Like. I was trying to talk to the ghost or something like that.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yeah, we've, we've had psychics call and tell us that they, they've heard through ghost that you know that she's here, she's there.

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[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

We've searched ponds. That psychic said that she's in a boat that's abandoned in a pond. We've went out in the middle of the night and we got that tip. I mean, like I say we go right then, right? And we've actually been out into the to the pond middle of the night to search abandoned booth that was nothing there. But you know, if it's a lead. We're going on it. And it's. Some of them are very interesting.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yes, yes. Well, I just want people to know that, like, we don't turn down anything. But I just remember you were at some house, maybe a haunted house or something, and maybe the family went with you.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Some of the family did go. I know what you're talking about. Now. There was a gathering over a weekend, I believe at some. It might have been Abbeville or somewhere. But yes, it was where. Yes. Where people stayed there and actually tried to get information through these ghosts, they say, you know, or spirits. And yeah, it was kind of freaky. But hey, whatever works, you know, we'll try anything.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I remember you because you invited me. I said, no, I think I'll sit this one out. But I'm very glad that you're going. But I wanted to bring that up because we do do it all when it comes to that. We don't just turn that away and say, well, that's just silly.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

No matter your belief, no matter that it look a tips. A tip. And you just never know what you're going to come across. And you never know who you sit next to. I mean, you may have, you know, go to a function like that and there's a person sitting next to you that may be the suspect that we're looking for. You're right, because you just don't know. And so we don't rule anybody out. And so it was kind of funny when I interviewed Deputy Bozeman in here and turned in a little bit of a interview and interrogation just to go back through the whole process. So it's something that we have to do because you don't want to rule anything out. And I just appreciate your dedication to this case. And so as we are getting near to the end of the case of Barbara Blunt, and let me rephrase that, because we're never going to be to the end of that until we make that arrest.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

But handcuffs on somebody, right?

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And it's going to happen. And I believe, too. And you know, Woody Overton says it best. I'm going to continue to say it until it becomes my saying. But, you know, this guy out there, I mean, he's got to get lucky every day. Every day you got to get lucky.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

We only got to get lucky once.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

That's right. And we're going to get lucky. There's no doubt about it. I don't think we can stress enough by walking people through when this case started to where we're at today and highlight some of that because we remember the crime scene. The crime scene being this. Of so clean, but it wasn't that somebody went in there and cleaned it up. Is that she's spring cleaning that day. From what we gathered from family members.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That'S how she lived her life. Very, very clean. And not just. Not just her house, but I think her spiritually and everything. She was just a clean, pure victim now, you know.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

But that's the way she lived her life. That crime scene. There wasn't much of a crime scene.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Correct.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

You know, that was. That was a problem, the way she lived, as clean as she was. You could have seen anything out of place had it been, you know, a struggle there or something that. That we could have really attached to.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

But yeah, she was. She was very clean and very neat yard. Manicured cattle out in the. In the front yard, you know, fenced in that she took care of.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And she was a very capable woman. We. We talked about that where I think Chuck Watts brought up the fact that, you know, she actually, that day had to. Or earlier that morning had a cow got out or got hung up in the fence, and she actually basically went out there and physically, she does more.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Man duties than most men these days.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You know, that was her reputation.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

It was. She didn't rely on anybody.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And I think that's important to know that she was very physically capable, capable, even at her age, of defending and taking care of herself.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Sure. She cut her grass, she bush hogs, she rode tractors. She, like I said, handled. I think she had up to 30 head of cattle. You know, she had a buffalo pig.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Got about the buffalo.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yeah. She's. She's.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

She was a working woman. Yes, without a doubt.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

And she. She. From what we've learned over all these years, and, you know, we know a lot about Barbara Blunt. You know, we probably know more than some of her family knows just from gathering all this information. We know that she was, you know, 58. She was a widow. Her husband died in a terrible accident, I think, in 2004. She never remarried. She never dated. She stuck to being faithful not only to God, but also to her family and her husband, you know, and that means a lot.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, you know, says a lot about her character and who she was.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct. She was. She was big with her church. I mean, you ask anybody, it was. It was her faith with God, her family than her friends, you know, her cattle, everything. She. She was a very strong lady.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right. You know, and that's important for people to understand because you know, one of the things that we talk about or when you're in investigations, one of the things enters your mind is, you know, is there something going on? Is there a boyfriend? Is there, you know, an ex husband? I mean, so those things, you have to filter through those to see. And that was very early on rolled out.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And over time continue to be ruled out.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Because of who she was as a person. And, and as we get where we are today, she. She is a true victim.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Sure.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Like, there is no doubt in my mind and I'm sure in years as well, that Barbara Blunt was murdered.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yes, I believe, I believe that.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And, and we know that we're. We're working that she's not off on an island somewhere living a great life.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That wasn't her lifestyle. She wasn't. Like I said earlier, she was a clean lady, not only, you know, by property, but also through her, through her spirit and her faith. She wasn't one that we're going to find out. She just went to the casino and, you know, hooked up with somebody.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's. That's not in her lifestyle.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Well, and, and then you have obviously the. We find a vehicle and as you know, we. We will be sharing some. Some photos and you can see the horrible weather conditions that are going on very fast.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And we just happen to be in the water. The area where the water is just going in. Yes. And it's rising so fast. But that's, you know, look, anywhere, A lot of places in Liberty Paris, we have that.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And this is not far off the Tickfall river up north holding area. And it's just rapidly, you know, coming up.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Listen, right, right there where the vehicle was found, there was. It's a low line area as well, but it's also a creek that runs right there. So all the water flows to that. To that area. And yes, it was, it was a lot of water.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah. You know, Stan Carpenter shared a story and I, and I believe Chuck Watts as well. They remember the guys coming over in the horse, a couple horses, and he bailed off in there to, to try to, you know, they were going to try to walk through the woods and the horse basically went under.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yes. Where the, where the road, the gravel road come off of the blacktop.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right. That's how deep it was.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

One off the side of that and it was over the heart. They. They both swam out the horse and the guy riding it. So, yes, it was, it was, it was terrible.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

So you were fighting weather conditions, were able to get the vehicle out of there. Not without, you know, water on the floorboard, stuff like that. It just makes it difficult to process a scene when you have to bring the scene somewhere else.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And so I know those. Those are difficult. I know Louisiana State Police does crime scene, right?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And they did a great job, as they always do. And we had the FBI. Do you remember a little bit about the FBI coming in and.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yeah, I believe they came in and they. They brought some. Some surveys that. That we went around and passed out to the neighbors in the area. And then they would collect those surveys, take them back to their headquarters to where they had profilers would go through them and analysts to see if they could put us in a direction of who could be capable of doing something like this.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And so what's so unique about that and reason I asked that question is, I mean, we're back in 2008.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

We're.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I'll take pride because I've been here since 93, and I'm very confident we've came a long ways, and you learn as you go. This is kind of new to us. I mean, we've worked homicides, right. We've worked missing persons, but this was one of them. Like, y' all knew. I mean, it was just like we knew we need help here. Like, we need to. We need. We need some fresh minds. We need other agencies and, you know, you know, and have to, you know, FBI comes in. They do have different ways of doing things and things that you may not have thought of. We've never thought that we were, you know, too good to ask for assistance. But most of the time, and I'm very proudly saying this, most of the time, we have the tools we need to do what we have to do today.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And. But there is times where we don't.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Sure.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You have to lean out to another agency or maybe just not even have to be an agency. Maybe it's a business. Maybe if somebody has, you know, special equipment that. Connections defining special equipment that we might need. But back then, it was. It was a big deal to have the FBI come help assist you.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And they came in and assisted because they knew that something was up with this. They knew this wasn't just a regular missing person type deal.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's correct. And I. And I believe that the media coverage that we got back then was. It was a lot, you know, and I mean, it was being shown all over. And I think they could see that, hey, this is really something like, we believe this lady's been abducted. Or something's happened to her. She just, like I said, she didn't just go off on a vacation or a trip somewhere.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

So yeah, all hands on deck. And we was open arms to anybody that wanted to come in and assist us. Like you said, I mean we're not the best, we're right there. But back then we was limited to access to resources and having the FBI and the state police and I mean those, that's their expertise. That's what they do every day.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

So like you said, we didn't have homicides all the time.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Missing persons homicide was a big deal. Livingston Perry, it still is today. Most of, most of our homicides we still have here are usually domestic related.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

We do have an occasional drug related shooting.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Sure.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

But we just didn't have, we just don't have the homicides that a lot of people have. I'm very proud of that. However, we still have too many.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Sure.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And you know, one's too many. But back in 08 and through the year, I mean homicide is a big deal anywhere but for Livingston. Very odd, right?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Very odd. And when we did have one it, everybody came out all hands on deck.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

We, I can't tell how many miles we've walked. Just the woods because the body may be here. We've seen a car dumping something over here. And you don't just go check the ditch. You won't walk out.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Take that whole area. That's right. We flew it in. Helicopters, horseback, four wheelers, boats, foot, you name it. Dogs, you know, we had dogs come in. We had Texas send in a crew over here and search for days. Yeah, I mean I don't think there was an inch of ground for miles around that it wasn't, it wasn't walked over.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I believe that. And so moving in, you know, we process the scene, you're canvassing the area. FBI comes in, they give you this, trying to get, you know, do some profile. And as the days turn in two weeks and the weeks turn into months and the months turn into years, what's going through your mind?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Like when's, when's that call coming in that we're going to be able to crack this and go ahead and make an arrest or move forward anyway, so. And I think that day is coming.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, I feel very confident that it is. And you know, looking back on the scene, is there anything that just like sticks out at you that you feel comfortable sharing? Because I know sometimes we don't share a lot of information and you'll have to respect that because we may have information we feel like is. And I know we have some. And, and I feel like we have some pretty decent suspects as well. And you have to do a lot of investigative work to, to get there. And some of this not as easy as it would be if this happened today, but this is back when we didn't have the technology back then that we have today. But is there anything that just.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

I.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Don'T know, stands out or bother you? I'm putting you on the spot here.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Because, yeah, it actually. And it's, it's. We can speak about it because it's, it's how clean the scene was. It's how nothing was really disturbed. And like you had mentioned earlier, it wasn't that it was cleaned up after this, it was just that clean. So then, and you know, people say, well, it had to be somebody that knew her. Right. Had to be somebody that she was comfortable with for her to come outside because she, she was pretty tough lady. We've learned that she was also cautious, especially since her husband had passed.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

So she, she wasn't just going to open the door for anybody is what the family says, you know. So what bothered me about the scene was that it was so clean. So was it someone that knew her? Was it someone that said, hey, your cows are out, come quick, you know, or your kids been in an accident, jump in the car. You know, something got her off guard and, and got her out of that house? I do not believe anyone went in there and got her. I believe they, whatever happened, happened outside.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

I believe that somebody absolutely got her in a vehicle. Obviously her vehicle was moved for a reason and not very far. So she was either in that vehicle or not in that vehicle.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

But you know, keys, and the keys are in the roadway. I mean, we don't want to get off in the wheezing scenarios, but yeah, it's almost like she drove the car over there to meet somebody, gets out, has her keys in her hand and keys are dropped. Something happened right there. I believe that's where something happened at. Why would you, why would you bring the car a quarter mile down the road?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Exactly. Well, we drive it either all further unless you had something else there to get into and take off.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right. So it was absolutely planned out situation. And again, it's, it's, it's that, that kind of is what bothered me about the whole thing as well. Just it's clean. I just believe that somebody that she must have somewhat felt comfortable with got that car over there.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Yes.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

If she didn't have to drive it herself.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct. It was that or just down on.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

The side of the road. Can you come over here real quick and help me? And then it went from there. Which makes a lot of sense why the scene will be so. So clean. And you know, people bring up the whole thing with. With a phone. You know, the cordless phone call is phone. And look, everybody's had cordless phones. You know, I've bumped mine before it hit the ground. I mean, you had bad weather that day. Could been the wind came in and blew it over because it was outside. It was supposedly on a right next.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

To a pair of rubber boots.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Pair of rubber boots. And so you don't really know what happened. You know, you do want to focus on it because it could be a possible sign of struggle. But it's just a phone. But it looks like the phone was either dropped or knocked off.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct. And with the wind they had that day because there was other items that.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Was knocked over in the house where.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

The windows were up that, you know, the wind had blew through and you could see that things had fell over. Not, not to say there's a struggle, but just to show that. That there was that much wind that day.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Yeah, it was a pretty bad storm. I remember looking at the. The weather and all. It was. It was pretty bad.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

So we'll be in as. As we get to wrap this up here. We want to make sure. And I like to people hear from you if, if I have a tip or I feel like I'm. I have some information I want to. I want to give to the sheriff's office. How do I do that?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Well, one, you can call the sheriff's office. You can call the. The dispatch number 225686, 2241. You can ask for me personally. I promise you I'll respond back quickly.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

You will.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That you can. You can also go through our LPSO app. You can call Crime Stoppers. You can remain anonymous through Crime Stoppers and they'll even pay you for your information if it turns out to be good information. So.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Right.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

Or you can drive up to the courthouse and come see me personally. I'm normally there Monday through Friday for so and I'll stay later. Come early if you. If you want to come by and meet with me.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And we have a great partnership with Crime Stoppers. And look, we at the sheriff's office are willing to give a reward as well. And you know those. Those things are coming and it's something that we're going to be talking about. In the near future. So last thing, Benny, I know as well as you do suspects listening to us, probably watching. So you as the time and effort you put into this, what would you say to him if he's listening right now?

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

I would say that he might asleep with one eye open. He, she, whoever's involved, whoever's responsible. And that hopefully one day it's me and you that get to go through his door, her door, and put them in cuffs and take them to justice for Ms. Barbara Blunt. And I believe that day's coming.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

God willing, I will absolutely be there.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's correct.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Well, Ben, look, man, I appreciate you being on the show today. I appreciate your effort and your dedication and commitment to this, to everything you do. But to the Barbara Bunk case. I know the family's very appreciative of you and the things didn't just the time you put in. I'm gonna thank your family because I know you gotta have good support from them to be able to do the job that you do every day and at the time that you put into these cases. So with that, just. I appreciate you carving out a little time. I know that I'm your boss. You'd do it anyway.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

That's right.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

But I appreciate you carving out the time and taking the interest in this case because we have a true victim out there that that needs a case solved so we can bring her some justice, bring her family some justice. And that's what this is about.

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

And.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

And again, thank you. I greatly appreciate it. Well, look, that's going to do it for behind the scenes with Sheriff Jason Ard. I appreciate all of you tuning in and listening. And look, if you're listening out there and look, if you like it, share it, just get involved, do your part. We appreciate it. And as always in Livingston Parish, we love our churches, we love our schools, and we absolutely believe in the second amendment. Amendment.

[Woody Overton]

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

[Detective Ben Bourgeois]

And the wolf is at your throne.

[Sheriff Jason Ard]

Your running's over, that's for sure. Already knows all about you. Cut you down no matter about you now you better watch the light.

[Woody Overton]

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.

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