On May 3, 2021, Christin Parker, 32, and her 26-year-old nephew, Brandon Parker, were found shot to death in a residence in the Baker area of East Baton Rouge Parish after deputies answered a disconnected 911 call. An eyewitness account says one of Parker’s other children ran to a neighbor saying their mother had been shot.

Authorities identified 30-year-old Eric Derell Smith, Christin Parker’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her infant son La’Mello Parker, as the suspect. After the killings, Smith allegedly abducted 3-month-old La’Mello and fled, triggering a multi-agency pursuit that crossed into Mississippi and ended on Interstate 10 in Biloxi. Police used spike strips to stop Smith’s vehicle; a shootout followed in which Smith was shot and killed at the scene.

The infant La’Mello was struck by a single gunshot during the Biloxi shootout, taken to a nearby hospital and died the next day; an autopsy confirmed a single gunshot wound as the cause of death. A Harrison County grand jury later examined the infant’s death and found no criminal wrongdoing by the officers involved.

If anyone knew Christin, Brandon, La’Mello or Eric Smith, or has information about the events in Baker or the chase into Mississippi, please share what is known.