Ryan Charles, 32, was found dead in a wooded area along the 2200 block of Bushville Highway in Cecilia, Louisiana, on the afternoon of January 4, 2025. Deputies from the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a passerby’s call around 2:30 p.m.; Charles had been reported missing by his family the evening before. Investigators determined he had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The homicide shocked residents of Cecilia and nearby Arnaudville and prompted an intensive, months-long investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, which repeatedly asked the public for information. On October 30, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office arrested 39-year-old Durell Edmond of Arnaudville and charged him with one count of first-degree murder in connection with Charles’s death. Edmond was booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center and the investigation remains active.

Ryan’s family described him as a good person who loved his family and cared for his chickens and said they plan to attend court hearings. Does anyone in Cecilia or Arnaudville have information that could help fill gaps in the timeline leading up to January 4?