Kiln Woman's Body Found In Shallow Grave
WDSU
POSTED: November 13, 2007
KILN, Miss. -- After a three-month search, police believe they've found the body of a 29-year-old woman in a shallow grave less than a mile from her home.
Brandie Laurent's husband is considered a person of interest in her death. The couple lived in Kiln, Miss.
Leo Laurent told investigators he and his wife argued before she left their home on foot. He said she left with only the clothes she was wearing.
The body was located Saturday morning by a small party of searchers riding on horseback. Sources told The Sun Herald newspaper that the body was tentatively identified by tattoos. Laurent had tattoos on her back and on both legs.
A MySpace page contains a message claiming to be from Laurent, saying she's "run off to Missouri with another man."
"Don’t look for me," the message said.
But friends told WDSU NewsChannel 6 they don't believe Laurent wrote the message.
"We know she just didn't get up and walk away from home and children," one friend said.
Officers said Laurent's husband is cooperating with the investigation and denies any involvement. She leaves behind two daughters.
Copyright 2007 by WDSU.com.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/14582645/detail.html
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Right side of article)
Nov 13, 2007
'Body unofficially identified as that of missing woman' 11.13.07
Body unofficially identified as that of missing woman
By Jeremy Pittari Item Staff Writer
Hancock County, Miss. — Investigators with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department say that tattoos on the body found Saturday allude to an unofficial identification as that of a woman missing since early August.Hancock County Sheriff Investigator Kenny Hurt said that the body found Saturday on a power line right of way off of Fenton Dedeaux Road had tattoos that correspond with tattoos described on 29 year-old Brandi Laurent who has been missing for about four months. However the department does not want to officially say the body is that of Laurent without further testing.“We still got to go through dental records and everything else to be sure it’s her,” Hurt said.The body was found by the Texas Equusearch within “walking distance from her home” in a shallow grave, Hurt said.Hurt said the body was found in an area he and other officers of the department had searched numerous times; the officers even found a stolen car during one of those searches.Laurent reportedly disappeared at about midnight on Aug. 3 after a marital spat with her husband. She reportedly left home with little more than the shirt on her back, leaving behind her keys, her cell phone and her children, according to statements at the time by her husband.After the body had been found during the search Saturday, several of Laurent’s friends told the Picayune Item that the couple was having difficulties.In an e-mail to the Picayune Item, Laurent’s husband, Leo Laurent, said the couple’s marital problems were “normal.”“We did not have any marital problems out of the normal ones. Some days worse than others, but show me a perfect marriage with no disagreements,” Leo Laurent wrote.A cause of death is expected by Wednesday and the incident is still under investigation, Hurt said.
http://www.picayuneitem.com/local/local_story_317141932.html
By Jeremy Pittari Item Staff Writer
Hancock County, Miss. — Investigators with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department say that tattoos on the body found Saturday allude to an unofficial identification as that of a woman missing since early August.Hancock County Sheriff Investigator Kenny Hurt said that the body found Saturday on a power line right of way off of Fenton Dedeaux Road had tattoos that correspond with tattoos described on 29 year-old Brandi Laurent who has been missing for about four months. However the department does not want to officially say the body is that of Laurent without further testing.“We still got to go through dental records and everything else to be sure it’s her,” Hurt said.The body was found by the Texas Equusearch within “walking distance from her home” in a shallow grave, Hurt said.Hurt said the body was found in an area he and other officers of the department had searched numerous times; the officers even found a stolen car during one of those searches.Laurent reportedly disappeared at about midnight on Aug. 3 after a marital spat with her husband. She reportedly left home with little more than the shirt on her back, leaving behind her keys, her cell phone and her children, according to statements at the time by her husband.After the body had been found during the search Saturday, several of Laurent’s friends told the Picayune Item that the couple was having difficulties.In an e-mail to the Picayune Item, Laurent’s husband, Leo Laurent, said the couple’s marital problems were “normal.”“We did not have any marital problems out of the normal ones. Some days worse than others, but show me a perfect marriage with no disagreements,” Leo Laurent wrote.A cause of death is expected by Wednesday and the incident is still under investigation, Hurt said.
http://www.picayuneitem.com/local/local_story_317141932.html
'Hancock County Husband Questioned in Wife's Death' 11.13.07
Hancock County Husband Questioned In Wife's Death
WLOX
Posted: Nov 13, 2007 04:49 PM CST
Hancock County investigators are busy tracking down leads and asking questions about the murder of Brandi Laurent.
She's the 29-year-old mother of two, whose body was found over the weekend after she'd been missing for more than three months.
The official cause of death hasn't been released yet. But sources tell WLOX News that Brandi Laurent was strangled to death.
Investigators have questioned several people about the killing, including the victim's husband, Leo Laurent.
Brandi Laurent's body was discovered Saturday, in a shallow grave about a mile away from her trailer home. The grave was located along some woods, just a short distance from Road 528 in the Fenton community.
In late August, her husband Leo Laurent told WLOX News his wife disappeared the late night hours of August third. He blamed her disappearance on drug use.
Friends of the murdered woman disputed that explanation, saying Brandi would never abandon her two children.
The friends, who call themselves "Brandi's Army," kept her missing person case high profile on the Internet, and worked tirelessly to find their good friend.
We talked with Sheriff Steve Garber late Tuesday afternoon about the ongoing investigation.
"It is definitely a murder. We're treating it as a murder. And that's why we're not giving out much information. It's a very hot, ongoing investigation," said Sheriff Garber, "We're working with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Crime Lab, Dr. McGeary, the Hancock County coroner. We're all working around the clock actually on this case right now and our number one goal is to bring someone to justice."
The sheriff confirmed that the victim's husband is a person of interest in the investigation.
"Well, in the investigation he is a person of interest. I will say he's a person of interest. You know, we're not just looking in one area, we're looking around and it's an open investigation and we're checking every lead that we have right now. And we're doing a lot of things and a lot of investigation is going on with this around the clock," said Sheriff Garber.
Brandi's husband, Leo Laurent, sent WLOX News an e-mail after our story Monday night, saying he wanted to make a statement. We tried to contact him Tuesday, but he has not yet returned our phone messages or e-mail.
By Steve Phillips
http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=7355278
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
WLOX
Posted: Nov 13, 2007 04:49 PM CST
Hancock County investigators are busy tracking down leads and asking questions about the murder of Brandi Laurent.
She's the 29-year-old mother of two, whose body was found over the weekend after she'd been missing for more than three months.
The official cause of death hasn't been released yet. But sources tell WLOX News that Brandi Laurent was strangled to death.
Investigators have questioned several people about the killing, including the victim's husband, Leo Laurent.
Brandi Laurent's body was discovered Saturday, in a shallow grave about a mile away from her trailer home. The grave was located along some woods, just a short distance from Road 528 in the Fenton community.
In late August, her husband Leo Laurent told WLOX News his wife disappeared the late night hours of August third. He blamed her disappearance on drug use.
Friends of the murdered woman disputed that explanation, saying Brandi would never abandon her two children.
The friends, who call themselves "Brandi's Army," kept her missing person case high profile on the Internet, and worked tirelessly to find their good friend.
We talked with Sheriff Steve Garber late Tuesday afternoon about the ongoing investigation.
"It is definitely a murder. We're treating it as a murder. And that's why we're not giving out much information. It's a very hot, ongoing investigation," said Sheriff Garber, "We're working with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Crime Lab, Dr. McGeary, the Hancock County coroner. We're all working around the clock actually on this case right now and our number one goal is to bring someone to justice."
The sheriff confirmed that the victim's husband is a person of interest in the investigation.
"Well, in the investigation he is a person of interest. I will say he's a person of interest. You know, we're not just looking in one area, we're looking around and it's an open investigation and we're checking every lead that we have right now. And we're doing a lot of things and a lot of investigation is going on with this around the clock," said Sheriff Garber.
Brandi's husband, Leo Laurent, sent WLOX News an e-mail after our story Monday night, saying he wanted to make a statement. We tried to contact him Tuesday, but he has not yet returned our phone messages or e-mail.
By Steve Phillips
http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=7355278
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
'Husband declares he is innocent' 11.13.07
HUSBAND DECLARES HE IS INNOCENT
By J.R. WELSH
November 13, 2007
jrwelsh@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS -- The husband of a Kiln woman found Saturday during a volunteer search in Hancock County told the Sun Herald he is innocent of wrongdoing in the death of his wife, Brandi Hawkins Laurent.
Laurent, a mother of two, was reported missing Aug. 3 from their home off Road 528 near Kiln by her husband, Leo Laurent. He told deputies she had been using drugs for several days and left their FEMA trailer on foot at midnight after the couple had argued.
Authorities have considered Leo Laurent a person of interest in the case for weeks. He has been questioned on a number of occasions by Sheriff's Investigator Rita Blaize-Watson and others, and has taken at least two polygraph exams.
Leo Laurent has posted on Internet sites that he passed both tests, which normally are not admissible as court evidence, "100 percent."
Off the record, Sheriff's Department sources have said he failed both tests.
Leo Laurent acknowledged to the Sun Herald on Monday that he has been closely questioned by authorities. But he maintained his innocence.
"I had nothing to do with this," he said. "I don't want to be in the public's eye as being hated. This has been the hardest experience I've ever had to deal with."
He also said he has received death threats since the case began, adding, "I'm in a protective housing type of situation now." He declined to say who is protecting him from whom, or where.
Officials maintained Monday that autopsy results were still out on the case, and said crime scene examination results and dental record comparisons are not yet complete. However, sources close to the case said an initial examination showed Laurent may have been strangled.
Hancock County Coroner Norma Stiglet would neither confirm nor deny that strangulation may have caused Laurent's death. "I don't even have a death certificate yet," she said.
The death is now being considered a homicide.
Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber declined to release further information and refused to say whether he has a suspect. Garber also said he had no knowledge of any autopsy results, and that his department has been instructed by District Attorney Cono Caranna's office to maintain silence on the case.
"The district attorney is telling us not to say anything," he said.
Caranna could not be reached by the Sun Herald on Monday and his office was closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
On Saturday, Laurent's body was found off a power company line clearing about a mile from the trailer. Local horseback riders participating in a search led by Texas Equusearch made the discovery. The body apparently had been originally buried in a shallow grave, then was possibly unearthed by animals before being found.
Garber said two of his deputies had searched the area where Laurent was found about two weeks after she was reported missing. Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said he and another deputy combed the area on four-wheel vehicles.
"We rode that thing from one end to the other," Hurt said.
In addition, seven of Laurent's friends also had searched the same area a month after her disappearance. "We rode through there, but we missed it," said Andrea Dominach, who grew up with Laurent.
In both cases, if the body had not yet been unearthed, a shallow grave would not have been difficult to overlook. The remote area has stands of tall grass six to eight feet high.
Laurent's mother, Alabama resident Anita Moody, said she was still awaiting more word from authorities on her daughter's death. Moody said closure over the fate of her daughter gave her no comfort. "I didn't want this. I'd rather go 20 years not knowing she was dead," she said.
Family members and friends are hoping to see an arrest soon. And questions from the public began surfacing Monday over how a recovery team was able to find Laurent's body after looking for only 10 minutes, when she had apparently been lying in the elements since disappearing the night of Aug. 3.
"She didn't bury herself, that's for sure," said Cindy Wisdom, who commanded Saturday's search for Texas Equusearch.
Deputies said they are hoping crime lab results will give them more to work with.
"We're hoping to get something back by the end of the week," Hurt said.
Leo Laurent, husband of Brandi Hawkins Laurent
Cindy Wisdom, Texas Equusearch team member
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/186923.html
By J.R. WELSH
November 13, 2007
jrwelsh@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS -- The husband of a Kiln woman found Saturday during a volunteer search in Hancock County told the Sun Herald he is innocent of wrongdoing in the death of his wife, Brandi Hawkins Laurent.
Laurent, a mother of two, was reported missing Aug. 3 from their home off Road 528 near Kiln by her husband, Leo Laurent. He told deputies she had been using drugs for several days and left their FEMA trailer on foot at midnight after the couple had argued.
Authorities have considered Leo Laurent a person of interest in the case for weeks. He has been questioned on a number of occasions by Sheriff's Investigator Rita Blaize-Watson and others, and has taken at least two polygraph exams.
Leo Laurent has posted on Internet sites that he passed both tests, which normally are not admissible as court evidence, "100 percent."
Off the record, Sheriff's Department sources have said he failed both tests.
Leo Laurent acknowledged to the Sun Herald on Monday that he has been closely questioned by authorities. But he maintained his innocence.
"I had nothing to do with this," he said. "I don't want to be in the public's eye as being hated. This has been the hardest experience I've ever had to deal with."
He also said he has received death threats since the case began, adding, "I'm in a protective housing type of situation now." He declined to say who is protecting him from whom, or where.
Officials maintained Monday that autopsy results were still out on the case, and said crime scene examination results and dental record comparisons are not yet complete. However, sources close to the case said an initial examination showed Laurent may have been strangled.
Hancock County Coroner Norma Stiglet would neither confirm nor deny that strangulation may have caused Laurent's death. "I don't even have a death certificate yet," she said.
The death is now being considered a homicide.
Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber declined to release further information and refused to say whether he has a suspect. Garber also said he had no knowledge of any autopsy results, and that his department has been instructed by District Attorney Cono Caranna's office to maintain silence on the case.
"The district attorney is telling us not to say anything," he said.
Caranna could not be reached by the Sun Herald on Monday and his office was closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
On Saturday, Laurent's body was found off a power company line clearing about a mile from the trailer. Local horseback riders participating in a search led by Texas Equusearch made the discovery. The body apparently had been originally buried in a shallow grave, then was possibly unearthed by animals before being found.
Garber said two of his deputies had searched the area where Laurent was found about two weeks after she was reported missing. Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said he and another deputy combed the area on four-wheel vehicles.
"We rode that thing from one end to the other," Hurt said.
In addition, seven of Laurent's friends also had searched the same area a month after her disappearance. "We rode through there, but we missed it," said Andrea Dominach, who grew up with Laurent.
In both cases, if the body had not yet been unearthed, a shallow grave would not have been difficult to overlook. The remote area has stands of tall grass six to eight feet high.
Laurent's mother, Alabama resident Anita Moody, said she was still awaiting more word from authorities on her daughter's death. Moody said closure over the fate of her daughter gave her no comfort. "I didn't want this. I'd rather go 20 years not knowing she was dead," she said.
Family members and friends are hoping to see an arrest soon. And questions from the public began surfacing Monday over how a recovery team was able to find Laurent's body after looking for only 10 minutes, when she had apparently been lying in the elements since disappearing the night of Aug. 3.
"She didn't bury herself, that's for sure," said Cindy Wisdom, who commanded Saturday's search for Texas Equusearch.
Deputies said they are hoping crime lab results will give them more to work with.
"We're hoping to get something back by the end of the week," Hurt said.
Leo Laurent, husband of Brandi Hawkins Laurent
Cindy Wisdom, Texas Equusearch team member
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/186923.html
'Missing Person Case Now Active Murder Investigation' 11.12.07
Missing Person Case Now Active Murder Investigation
WLOX
Posted: Nov 12, 2007 03:22 PM CST
The case of a Hancock County mother, missing for more than three months, is now a murder investigation.
Brandi Laurent's body was found just over a mile from her home. Forty yards off a dirt road that cuts through a power company easement, fresh flowers decorate a shallow grave where the victim was discovered.
Sheriff's investigator Kenny Hurd told WLOX News he and others had searched the same easement area earlier, with no success.
The person who organized the search for Texas Equu Search says it was by "the grace of God" that Brandi Laurent's body was discovered so quickly Saturday morning, shortly after the search began.
Cindy Wisdom also told WLOX News it's not that unusual for victims to go missing for months at a time, until an organized search effort takes place, like the one that happened over the weekend.
The 29-year-old mother of two disappeared from her trailer park home the late night hours of August third.
Her husband apparently no longer lives there. During an August 31st interview inside their mobile home, Leo Laurent told WLOX News he blamed drugs for his wife's disappearance.
"She was determined to go out that night. And she had already been up for four days straight. She had gotten mixed up with some meth," he said at that time.
That description is one her close friends strongly dispute. For three months, they kept her missing person case "high profile" on the Internet. The Brandi they knew would never abandon her children.
Andrea Dominach remained hopeful last Friday, the day before the search for her missing friend began.
"She's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's caring and nurturing and funny. And a great mother, oh my goodness, a great mother. And the best friend a girl could have," she said Friday.
The discovery of the body brings painful closure to the question of her missing. Her friends won't rest until the person responsible for her death is brought to justice.
Sheriff's investigators are tight lipped about any possible leads or suspects in the case. They are awaiting lab and autopsy results.
Tattoos helped with a positive identification of the victim's body.
Anyone with any information about Brandi's murder should contact the Hancock County Sheriff's Department at (228) 466-6900.
By Steve Phillips
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7348733&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
WLOX
Posted: Nov 12, 2007 03:22 PM CST
The case of a Hancock County mother, missing for more than three months, is now a murder investigation.
Brandi Laurent's body was found just over a mile from her home. Forty yards off a dirt road that cuts through a power company easement, fresh flowers decorate a shallow grave where the victim was discovered.
Sheriff's investigator Kenny Hurd told WLOX News he and others had searched the same easement area earlier, with no success.
The person who organized the search for Texas Equu Search says it was by "the grace of God" that Brandi Laurent's body was discovered so quickly Saturday morning, shortly after the search began.
Cindy Wisdom also told WLOX News it's not that unusual for victims to go missing for months at a time, until an organized search effort takes place, like the one that happened over the weekend.
The 29-year-old mother of two disappeared from her trailer park home the late night hours of August third.
Her husband apparently no longer lives there. During an August 31st interview inside their mobile home, Leo Laurent told WLOX News he blamed drugs for his wife's disappearance.
"She was determined to go out that night. And she had already been up for four days straight. She had gotten mixed up with some meth," he said at that time.
That description is one her close friends strongly dispute. For three months, they kept her missing person case "high profile" on the Internet. The Brandi they knew would never abandon her children.
Andrea Dominach remained hopeful last Friday, the day before the search for her missing friend began.
"She's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's caring and nurturing and funny. And a great mother, oh my goodness, a great mother. And the best friend a girl could have," she said Friday.
The discovery of the body brings painful closure to the question of her missing. Her friends won't rest until the person responsible for her death is brought to justice.
Sheriff's investigators are tight lipped about any possible leads or suspects in the case. They are awaiting lab and autopsy results.
Tattoos helped with a positive identification of the victim's body.
Anyone with any information about Brandi's murder should contact the Hancock County Sheriff's Department at (228) 466-6900.
By Steve Phillips
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7348733&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
'Body found may be missing woman' 11.13.07
Body found may be missing woman
The Associated Press
BAY ST. LOUIS — Authorities believe a body found Saturday in tall grass near a power line clearing is that of a woman who has been missing since Aug. 3.
Dozens for volunteers joined the search Saturday for Brandi Hawkins Laurent, a 29-year-old mother of two who was reported missing by her husband.
The Sun Herald newspaper reported Saturday a positive identification has not been made. However, sources told the paper the body was tentatively identified from tattoos. Laurent had tattoos on her back and on both legs.
Experts from the state crime lab headed to the scene in Hancock County. Dental records and DNA identifications will be used to make a positive identification and an autopsy will be performed.
"We won't know much more until we get an autopsy," said Investigator Rita Blaize-Watson of the Hancock County Sheriff's Department.
Laurent's husband, Leo Laurent, told investigators he and his wife had argued before she left their home on foot in a remote area. He said she left with only the clothes she was wearing.
The body was found Saturday by a small party of searchers on horseback about 10 a.m., off Road 528 in the Fenton-Dedeaux Road area.
The riders were part of a search organized by Texasequusearch, an organization from Texas know for it's ability to find missing people.
The body was found about a mile from where Laurent lived.
"We found her about where we thought we would," said Cindy Wisdom, the search commander for Texasequusearch.
The disappearance of Brandi Laurent had changed before noon from an official missing person case to a possible murder.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/NEWS/711110384/1001/news
The Associated Press
BAY ST. LOUIS — Authorities believe a body found Saturday in tall grass near a power line clearing is that of a woman who has been missing since Aug. 3.
Dozens for volunteers joined the search Saturday for Brandi Hawkins Laurent, a 29-year-old mother of two who was reported missing by her husband.
The Sun Herald newspaper reported Saturday a positive identification has not been made. However, sources told the paper the body was tentatively identified from tattoos. Laurent had tattoos on her back and on both legs.
Experts from the state crime lab headed to the scene in Hancock County. Dental records and DNA identifications will be used to make a positive identification and an autopsy will be performed.
"We won't know much more until we get an autopsy," said Investigator Rita Blaize-Watson of the Hancock County Sheriff's Department.
Laurent's husband, Leo Laurent, told investigators he and his wife had argued before she left their home on foot in a remote area. He said she left with only the clothes she was wearing.
The body was found Saturday by a small party of searchers on horseback about 10 a.m., off Road 528 in the Fenton-Dedeaux Road area.
The riders were part of a search organized by Texasequusearch, an organization from Texas know for it's ability to find missing people.
The body was found about a mile from where Laurent lived.
"We found her about where we thought we would," said Cindy Wisdom, the search commander for Texasequusearch.
The disappearance of Brandi Laurent had changed before noon from an official missing person case to a possible murder.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/NEWS/711110384/1001/news
'BODY FOUND: Missing Mother is possible muder victim' 11.11.07
BODY FOUND: Missing mother is possible murder victim
By J.R. WELSH
November 11, 2007
jrwelsh@sunherald.com
KILN -- Three months of uncertainty ended Saturday when the body of a young mother missing since August was located alongside a power line cut-through in a wooded rural area of Hancock County.
Authorities tentatively identified the remains as those of 29-year-old Brandi Hawkins Laurent during a search organized by Texasequusearch and involving about 150 local volunteers. A group of civilians and Harrison County deputies on horseback found the body in tall grass about 100 yards from County Road 528 in a remote section of the county.
"We found her about where we thought we would," said Cindy Wisdom, the search commander for Texasequusearch. "But we found her a lot faster than we had expected."
The body was discovered roughly a mile from the trailer park where her husband, Leo Laurent, said he had last seen her at midnight on Aug. 3. The following day, Leo Laurent said in a sheriff's report that his wife left home on foot after they argued.
Leo Laurent said she had been using drugs for several days and disappeared wearing only a shirt, shorts and flip-flops. He moved from their trailer shortly after his wife vanished.
Brandi Laurent had two daughters, ages 2 and 12. The youngest still lives with Leo Laurent, her father. The oldest, Brandi Laurent's daughter by a previous marriage, has been living elsewhere since her mother disappeared.
The search began early Saturday at a command post at the Hancock County Fairgrounds. Volunteers fanned into the woods near Laurent's home, on foot, driving four-wheelers and on horseback. It took the horseback searchers only about 10 minutes to locate the body after they rode into a wide power line field off County Road 528 at 10 a.m.
Within minutes after the searchers headed back to the road, radios began to crackle. Hancock County deputies Sgt. Eddie Smith and Lt. Matt Barnett arrived and began stringing yellow crime scene tape in the field.
Brandi Laurent's status quickly changed from missing person to possible murder victim.
Rita Blaize-Watson, lead sheriff's investigator on the case, said she hopes an autopsy will yield more information on how Laurent died. Dental records and DNA testing are being used for an official identification.
Leo Laurent was not present at the search for his wife, which had been well publicized in advance. He had previously announced on an Internet site that instead, he would be attending a soccer tournament in Jackson this weekend, after his birthday on Friday.
Saturday's search followed weeks of building speculation that Brandi Laurent had been killed and her body disposed of in the rugged, rural countryside. But her mother, Anita Moody, had arrived at the search command post in a hopeful frame of mind at 7 a.m. Saturday, three hours before the body was found.
"Brandi needs me to be as strong as I can be," she said then. "I won't believe that she's out there dead until I see it."
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/185403.html
By J.R. WELSH
November 11, 2007
jrwelsh@sunherald.com
KILN -- Three months of uncertainty ended Saturday when the body of a young mother missing since August was located alongside a power line cut-through in a wooded rural area of Hancock County.
Authorities tentatively identified the remains as those of 29-year-old Brandi Hawkins Laurent during a search organized by Texasequusearch and involving about 150 local volunteers. A group of civilians and Harrison County deputies on horseback found the body in tall grass about 100 yards from County Road 528 in a remote section of the county.
"We found her about where we thought we would," said Cindy Wisdom, the search commander for Texasequusearch. "But we found her a lot faster than we had expected."
The body was discovered roughly a mile from the trailer park where her husband, Leo Laurent, said he had last seen her at midnight on Aug. 3. The following day, Leo Laurent said in a sheriff's report that his wife left home on foot after they argued.
Leo Laurent said she had been using drugs for several days and disappeared wearing only a shirt, shorts and flip-flops. He moved from their trailer shortly after his wife vanished.
Brandi Laurent had two daughters, ages 2 and 12. The youngest still lives with Leo Laurent, her father. The oldest, Brandi Laurent's daughter by a previous marriage, has been living elsewhere since her mother disappeared.
The search began early Saturday at a command post at the Hancock County Fairgrounds. Volunteers fanned into the woods near Laurent's home, on foot, driving four-wheelers and on horseback. It took the horseback searchers only about 10 minutes to locate the body after they rode into a wide power line field off County Road 528 at 10 a.m.
Within minutes after the searchers headed back to the road, radios began to crackle. Hancock County deputies Sgt. Eddie Smith and Lt. Matt Barnett arrived and began stringing yellow crime scene tape in the field.
Brandi Laurent's status quickly changed from missing person to possible murder victim.
Rita Blaize-Watson, lead sheriff's investigator on the case, said she hopes an autopsy will yield more information on how Laurent died. Dental records and DNA testing are being used for an official identification.
Leo Laurent was not present at the search for his wife, which had been well publicized in advance. He had previously announced on an Internet site that instead, he would be attending a soccer tournament in Jackson this weekend, after his birthday on Friday.
Saturday's search followed weeks of building speculation that Brandi Laurent had been killed and her body disposed of in the rugged, rural countryside. But her mother, Anita Moody, had arrived at the search command post in a hopeful frame of mind at 7 a.m. Saturday, three hours before the body was found.
"Brandi needs me to be as strong as I can be," she said then. "I won't believe that she's out there dead until I see it."
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/185403.html
'Body Found in the Search for a Missing Hancock County Woman'
Body Found In The Search For A Missing Hancock County Woman
WLOX
Posted: Nov 10, 2007 08:41 PM CST
Less than a hour after it started, the all out search by more than a hundred volunteers on horseback, 4 wheelers and on foot, was over.
"Oh my gosh. I think I can put this one down in the record books,"says Cindy Wisdom with Texas EquuSearch.
Wisdom's organization lead the effort, and it was up to her to tell Brandi Laurent's family that her body had been found.
"It's gratifying knowing that we came here for a purpose and accomplished our goal, and we can help another family now," says Wisdom. "But it's gut wrenching. It truly is gut wrenching."
The body was discovered just a few hundred yards off County Road 528, the same road Laurent was last seen walking on, in the late night hours of August 3rd.
"We've had this missing girl for about 3 months," Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber. "We can't confirm who we have out here right now. All we know is we found a body here off of Road 528 in the Fenton community."
But if it is in fact Laurent's body, Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber has plenty of help to find out how the mother of 2 died just a few miles from her home.
"We have the state crime lab coming," says Garber. "We have the Mississippi Highway Patrol investigators, we have our investigators, the district attorney's office and the coroners office here in the county all working on this."
And Garber says these questions are now one step closer to being answered, thanks to the volunteers who turned out in mass, determined to find 29 year old Brandi Laurent.
"It's been amazing, and you're truly blessed to have all these resources in you community," says Wisdom.
Investigators have brought in temporary lights and plan to work the crime scene throughout the night. The Red Cross and several local restaurants provided food and drinks to the volunteers.
by Don Culpepper
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7342692&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
WLOX
Posted: Nov 10, 2007 08:41 PM CST
Less than a hour after it started, the all out search by more than a hundred volunteers on horseback, 4 wheelers and on foot, was over.
"Oh my gosh. I think I can put this one down in the record books,"says Cindy Wisdom with Texas EquuSearch.
Wisdom's organization lead the effort, and it was up to her to tell Brandi Laurent's family that her body had been found.
"It's gratifying knowing that we came here for a purpose and accomplished our goal, and we can help another family now," says Wisdom. "But it's gut wrenching. It truly is gut wrenching."
The body was discovered just a few hundred yards off County Road 528, the same road Laurent was last seen walking on, in the late night hours of August 3rd.
"We've had this missing girl for about 3 months," Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber. "We can't confirm who we have out here right now. All we know is we found a body here off of Road 528 in the Fenton community."
But if it is in fact Laurent's body, Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber has plenty of help to find out how the mother of 2 died just a few miles from her home.
"We have the state crime lab coming," says Garber. "We have the Mississippi Highway Patrol investigators, we have our investigators, the district attorney's office and the coroners office here in the county all working on this."
And Garber says these questions are now one step closer to being answered, thanks to the volunteers who turned out in mass, determined to find 29 year old Brandi Laurent.
"It's been amazing, and you're truly blessed to have all these resources in you community," says Wisdom.
Investigators have brought in temporary lights and plan to work the crime scene throughout the night. The Red Cross and several local restaurants provided food and drinks to the volunteers.
by Don Culpepper
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7342692&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
'Texas group to join search for missing woman' 10.24.07
Texas group to join search for missing woman
By Dwayne Bremer
Oct 24, 2007, 09:18
Email this article
World renowned search group Texas Equusearch is coming to Hancock County in three weeks to assist in the search for missing mother Brandi Hawkins Laurent.It has been nearly three months now since Laurent--a 29-year-old mother of two-- went missing from her Kiln home.Since then a massive effort by friends and family to find her has captured the hearts of many, but unfortunately Brandi has not been found and not one solid lead has materialized.Texas Equusearch, a non-profit organization based in Dickinson Tx., has now been called in to help.Over the past eight years Texas Equusearch has conducted hundreds of searches both in the United States and internationally.The group was also a major contributer in the infamous case of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teen, who went missing during a vacation trip to Aruba in May 2005.Equusearch began in 2000, with the purpose of providing search and recovery teams for finding missing persons.The group was dedicated to the memory of Laura MIller, a young woman who was abducted and murdered in 1984. She was the daughter of director Tim Miller.Teams are comprised of volunteers of various experience, but the groups specialty is searches in wooded or hard to reach areas by means of horse back or walking.Cindy Wisdom, a case manager said the group will be conducting two searches on November 10 and 11. A command center will be set up, but Wisdom said that location is still undetermined."We will be starting in the area where she went missing and then follow on a few leads," Wisdom said Monday.Sheriff's investigator Rita Blaize Watson--who is the lead investigator in Laurent's disappearance--said Tuesday, the sheriff's department welcomes the help from Equusearch."This group has a good reputation and they rely on a lot of volunteers," she said.Watson said the case has been tedious so far, and the sheriff's department is still getting a lot of leads.Two chilling leads discovered last week have garnered a lot attention by investigators and Brandi's loved ones alike.The first is a message left on an internet website where friends were symbolically lighting candles for Brandi. The message was posted by someone calling them-self "A messenger of God from Mississippi."The message quotes a passage from the bible and a text written in a foreign language which translated may say "Brandi is located in the woods of Lakeshore."Some have dismissed the message as a cruel hoax, but Watson said nothing can be ruled out at this time."We don't know if it is real or not," she said. "A lot of the leads we are getting now have to do with where we may find Brandi's body."Watson said despite some morbid leads, the case is still being treated as a missing persons case.Another clue can be found on www.zerogossip.com.In a blog, Brandi's husband Leo is quoted as saying Brandi's friend Pomeca Vaughn may know where Brandi is."If I knew any way to get in touch with Pomeca at this point, I would go get her myself as I believe she has the answers that everyone is looking for," Leo said. "I wish I could give more , but like I said I can not paint a pretty picture out of the truth."Vaughn gave a statement to police the day after Brandi went missing. In her statement, Vaughn claims to have seen Brandi "sick in bed" the evening before she went missing.The next day, Leo first reported her missing.Watson said Leo Laurent told officers he and Brandi had had a disagreement about midnight the previous evening, and a short time later, Brandi left the couple's home at the Pecan Park trailer park.Leo told officers he drove around the trailer park and surrounding area, but Brandi was not to be found, Watson said.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, Watson said. The Equusearch team was alerted to the case by Brandi's mother Anita Moody and Brandi's friend Andrea Dominach.Wisdom said Equusearch will be bringing about 10 team leaders and they will rely on volunteer help to conduct the search."It comes down to getting boots on the ground," she said. "We have been successful because we don't close our door to the public."She said having support from the local law enforcement agencies is a huge plus."You guys have a great sheriff's department," she said. "I know because I've worked with a lot of them."Equusearch has produced tremendous results in their eight years of service.Wisdom said the group has been involved in about 800 cases. Of the 800 cases, 300 people have been returned safely, including three Amber Alerts.The group has also found about 75 bodies of missing people, most recently the group found the remains of a missing woman in Illinois last month.Wisdom said anyone wishing to volunteer for the search can call 1-281-309-9500 or visit www.tesasequusearch.com.Volunteers must be 18-years of age and capable of walking for extended periods, she said.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1622.shtml
By Dwayne Bremer
Oct 24, 2007, 09:18
Email this article
World renowned search group Texas Equusearch is coming to Hancock County in three weeks to assist in the search for missing mother Brandi Hawkins Laurent.It has been nearly three months now since Laurent--a 29-year-old mother of two-- went missing from her Kiln home.Since then a massive effort by friends and family to find her has captured the hearts of many, but unfortunately Brandi has not been found and not one solid lead has materialized.Texas Equusearch, a non-profit organization based in Dickinson Tx., has now been called in to help.Over the past eight years Texas Equusearch has conducted hundreds of searches both in the United States and internationally.The group was also a major contributer in the infamous case of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teen, who went missing during a vacation trip to Aruba in May 2005.Equusearch began in 2000, with the purpose of providing search and recovery teams for finding missing persons.The group was dedicated to the memory of Laura MIller, a young woman who was abducted and murdered in 1984. She was the daughter of director Tim Miller.Teams are comprised of volunteers of various experience, but the groups specialty is searches in wooded or hard to reach areas by means of horse back or walking.Cindy Wisdom, a case manager said the group will be conducting two searches on November 10 and 11. A command center will be set up, but Wisdom said that location is still undetermined."We will be starting in the area where she went missing and then follow on a few leads," Wisdom said Monday.Sheriff's investigator Rita Blaize Watson--who is the lead investigator in Laurent's disappearance--said Tuesday, the sheriff's department welcomes the help from Equusearch."This group has a good reputation and they rely on a lot of volunteers," she said.Watson said the case has been tedious so far, and the sheriff's department is still getting a lot of leads.Two chilling leads discovered last week have garnered a lot attention by investigators and Brandi's loved ones alike.The first is a message left on an internet website where friends were symbolically lighting candles for Brandi. The message was posted by someone calling them-self "A messenger of God from Mississippi."The message quotes a passage from the bible and a text written in a foreign language which translated may say "Brandi is located in the woods of Lakeshore."Some have dismissed the message as a cruel hoax, but Watson said nothing can be ruled out at this time."We don't know if it is real or not," she said. "A lot of the leads we are getting now have to do with where we may find Brandi's body."Watson said despite some morbid leads, the case is still being treated as a missing persons case.Another clue can be found on www.zerogossip.com.In a blog, Brandi's husband Leo is quoted as saying Brandi's friend Pomeca Vaughn may know where Brandi is."If I knew any way to get in touch with Pomeca at this point, I would go get her myself as I believe she has the answers that everyone is looking for," Leo said. "I wish I could give more , but like I said I can not paint a pretty picture out of the truth."Vaughn gave a statement to police the day after Brandi went missing. In her statement, Vaughn claims to have seen Brandi "sick in bed" the evening before she went missing.The next day, Leo first reported her missing.Watson said Leo Laurent told officers he and Brandi had had a disagreement about midnight the previous evening, and a short time later, Brandi left the couple's home at the Pecan Park trailer park.Leo told officers he drove around the trailer park and surrounding area, but Brandi was not to be found, Watson said.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, Watson said. The Equusearch team was alerted to the case by Brandi's mother Anita Moody and Brandi's friend Andrea Dominach.Wisdom said Equusearch will be bringing about 10 team leaders and they will rely on volunteer help to conduct the search."It comes down to getting boots on the ground," she said. "We have been successful because we don't close our door to the public."She said having support from the local law enforcement agencies is a huge plus."You guys have a great sheriff's department," she said. "I know because I've worked with a lot of them."Equusearch has produced tremendous results in their eight years of service.Wisdom said the group has been involved in about 800 cases. Of the 800 cases, 300 people have been returned safely, including three Amber Alerts.The group has also found about 75 bodies of missing people, most recently the group found the remains of a missing woman in Illinois last month.Wisdom said anyone wishing to volunteer for the search can call 1-281-309-9500 or visit www.tesasequusearch.com.Volunteers must be 18-years of age and capable of walking for extended periods, she said.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1622.shtml
'Texas Group Searches for Missing Hancock County Mother' 11.09.07
Texas Group Searches For Missing Hancock County Mother
WLOX
Posted: Nov 9, 2007 03:25 PM CST
A Texas group that specializes in finding missing persons will focus on Hancock County this weekend.
Searchers are looking for Brandi Laurent. She's a 29-year-old mother of two, who's been missing for more than three months.
Family and friends cling to the hope their loved one is still alive. She went missing late one night, nearly 100 days ago. No one has heard from her since.
They'll scour the woods on horses and ATVs Saturday and Sunday. Dozens more volunteers will fan out on foot.
Texas Equu Search bases its 75 percent success rate in putting "boots on the ground."
"We're one of the only search and recovery organizations that utilizes volunteers from the community. We believe the more people out there looking in an organized fashion, the better chance you're going to have of finding what you're looking for. And that's held true," said Cindy Wisdom, one of the group's two fulltime employees.
A group of Brandi's friends has posted fliers and kept her case high profile on the Internet.
"We just all kind of came together and started trying to do the best we could," said Brandi's friend, Breezy Bice.
"She's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's caring and nurturing and funny. And a great mother. Oh, my goodness, a great mother. And the best friend a girl could have," said an emotional Andrea Dominach.
Dominach led the efforts to keep Brandi's case in the public spotlight.
"I just felt compelled to do something for Brandi," she said, "Because Brandi would do it for all of us. I know she would. And so we started up a MySpace page and anything we could do to get the word out for her."
As time passes, hope becomes more fragile. Leaders of the Texas group understand the reality of such cases.
"When a grown person who has children goes missing and doesn't come home within two or three days, there's reason to be concerned," said Wisdom.
Adult volunteers are welcome to join the weekend search for Brandi. Texas Equu Search will set up its command post at the Hancock County Fairgrounds on Kiln-Delisle Road.
The search will begin at 8:30AM Saturday and Sunday.
While searchers comb the Hancock County terrain, a desperate mother draws strength from her missing daughter's friends.
Brandi's mom, Anita Moody, is still clinging to hope.
"Oh, yes I am. I'm just not giving up hope. Never."
By Steve Phillips
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7338165&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
WLOX
Posted: Nov 9, 2007 03:25 PM CST
A Texas group that specializes in finding missing persons will focus on Hancock County this weekend.
Searchers are looking for Brandi Laurent. She's a 29-year-old mother of two, who's been missing for more than three months.
Family and friends cling to the hope their loved one is still alive. She went missing late one night, nearly 100 days ago. No one has heard from her since.
They'll scour the woods on horses and ATVs Saturday and Sunday. Dozens more volunteers will fan out on foot.
Texas Equu Search bases its 75 percent success rate in putting "boots on the ground."
"We're one of the only search and recovery organizations that utilizes volunteers from the community. We believe the more people out there looking in an organized fashion, the better chance you're going to have of finding what you're looking for. And that's held true," said Cindy Wisdom, one of the group's two fulltime employees.
A group of Brandi's friends has posted fliers and kept her case high profile on the Internet.
"We just all kind of came together and started trying to do the best we could," said Brandi's friend, Breezy Bice.
"She's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's caring and nurturing and funny. And a great mother. Oh, my goodness, a great mother. And the best friend a girl could have," said an emotional Andrea Dominach.
Dominach led the efforts to keep Brandi's case in the public spotlight.
"I just felt compelled to do something for Brandi," she said, "Because Brandi would do it for all of us. I know she would. And so we started up a MySpace page and anything we could do to get the word out for her."
As time passes, hope becomes more fragile. Leaders of the Texas group understand the reality of such cases.
"When a grown person who has children goes missing and doesn't come home within two or three days, there's reason to be concerned," said Wisdom.
Adult volunteers are welcome to join the weekend search for Brandi. Texas Equu Search will set up its command post at the Hancock County Fairgrounds on Kiln-Delisle Road.
The search will begin at 8:30AM Saturday and Sunday.
While searchers comb the Hancock County terrain, a desperate mother draws strength from her missing daughter's friends.
Brandi's mom, Anita Moody, is still clinging to hope.
"Oh, yes I am. I'm just not giving up hope. Never."
By Steve Phillips
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7338165&nav=menu40_7_3
***VIDEO INCLUDED (Upper left hand corner of article)
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