On January 26, 2019, 43-year-old Billy Don Ernest was fatally shot during a violent spree that crossed two Louisiana parishes. The rampage began at the Ernest family home in Livingston Parish, where Ernest, his 20-year-old daughter Summer Ernest, and his 17-year-old son Tanner were killed. The attacker then traveled to Ascension Parish, where two more victims, identified as Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, were shot dead.

Authorities identified 21-year-old Dakota Theriot as the suspect. Reports state Theriot had been living with the Ernest family for several weeks after his parents asked him to leave their home. After the shootings he fled in a stolen vehicle and was the subject of an interstate manhunt that ended with his capture the next day in Virginia and his return to Louisiana to face murder charges.

The killings devastated two communities and left multiple families grieving. If anyone knew the victims, the suspect’s movements before January 26, 2019, or has information that could shed light on the events, please come forward.