Just before 1:00 a.m. on May 15, 2024, deputies with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office answered a disturbance near Old Spanish Trail and Billings Lane in Boutte, Louisiana, after reports of breaking glass and gunfire. They were met by 50-year-old L.J. McCoy, Jr., who directed them to his longtime girlfriend, 38-year-old Ashley Nicole Thomas, an African American woman, who had suffered a fatal gunshot wound.

Investigators say evidence at the scene led them to develop probable cause that McCoy was responsible; he was arrested at the scene without incident and later charged with second-degree murder. The investigation into the circumstances of the shooting is ongoing. It is not known what led to the disturbance that night.

If anyone has information about Ashley Nicole Thomas, the location near Old Spanish Trail and Billings Lane, or the events of the early hours of May 15, please share what is known.