Larry Ranson, 38, a resident of Luling, was found dead along Louisiana Highway 3160 near Hahnville on the morning of July 31, 1998. He had been seen the evening before at a convenience store in Hahnville. At discovery there were no visible signs of trauma and the death was initially classified as undetermined pending autopsy.

Ranson’s case echoed an earlier discovery in the same area: the body of David L. Mitchell Jr. a year before, which contributed to investigators’ suspicions that the deaths were linked. It later emerged that Ranson was one of the earliest known victims of Ronald Dominique, the Bayou Strangler. Authorities say Dominique lured men with promises of money for sex, then overpowered, sometimes bound, and strangled them; Ranson was reported to be the first victim found bound.

Does anyone have information about Ranson’s last known movements in Hahnville or recalls seeing him near the convenience store the night before he was found?