Harold Bruce Cotton, a 52-year-old Black man, was found dead in the back seat of his car on White Springs Road, on the Caddo–DeSoto parish line, on February 29, 2004. He had been missing for three days before two boys fishing nearby located his vehicle pulled over on the shoulder. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation and the case went cold for years.

A renewed push for information on the ninth anniversary in 2013 produced new witnesses and the case was presented to a Caddo Parish grand jury. In May 2014 a former Shreveport resident, Jake Robinson, then 60, was indicted for second-degree murder; he was living in Claremore, Oklahoma, and was extradited to Caddo Parish in July 2014 on a $500,000 bond. In June 2015 Robinson was also charged with solicitation for murder, accused of trying to hire people to kill a potential witness while incarcerated.

In August 2016 the Caddo District Attorney dropped both the second-degree murder and solicitation charges after a key witness died and concerns arose about the reliability of other testimony. Authorities said Robinson remained a suspect and the investigation was ongoing.

If anyone knew Harold Cotton, his movements in late February 2004, or saw his car on White Springs Road, please come forward with information.