Nicholas T-Nick Joseph Pellegrin was 21 when he was last seen on November 5, 2005, in the Houma area. His family reported him missing two days later. On November 9 a resident riding a four-wheeler found his body in a field in the St. Charles community, south of Thibodaux; investigators believed the body had been at that remote location for at least two days and suspected he had been killed elsewhere. The condition of the body initially made it difficult to determine a cause of death.

Early in the inquiry Pellegrin’s case was examined alongside a series of unsolved slayings of men from the Houma area found in rural locations dating back to the late 1990s. Pellegrin’s mother maintained she believed his death involved people he knew, possibly over a small debt, and expressed frustration that those responsible had not been arrested.

In December 2006 an arrest was announced: Ronald Joseph Dominique, later called The Bayou Strangler, confessed to the killings of 23 men and was linked by physical evidence to Pellegrin’s death. Dominique was charged in Pellegrin’s murder and pleaded not guilty. The family reported mixed reactions — some relief that a suspect was charged, but continued anger and grief over the violent loss.

Did anyone who knew Nicholas or frequented Houma area circles in 2005 see him in the days before November 5?