Man arrested in Missouri for decades-old Louisiana cold case

LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. ( WGNO ) — A man in Mountain Grove, Mo., is one of the two suspects who have been arrested and charged in a 38-year-old Louisiana murder cold case.

Deputies said that on Aug. 3, 1986, 20-year-old Paula Boudreaux was last seen at her parents’ home in Golden Meadow, La. Three days later, on Aug. 6, 1986, her parents reported her as missing to the police department.

Police records reported showed that years after her disappearance, skeletal remains were found in Slidell in January 1989, but deputies said they could not properly identify them.

In an attempt to identify the remains in 2022, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office submitted information to the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Lab, which was able to render an image of the person.

During the investigation, deputies received an anonymous tip that the remains may be Boudreaux. Through collected evidence, they were able to confirm her identity in 2023.

Following the discovery, the case was reopened, and detectives began interviewing family and friends and reviewed previous notes that led them to identify Russell Lee and Judith Weiser as persons of interest.

Deputies noted that Lee was in a relationship with Boudreaux and Weiser at the time of the crime. He was also found to have an extensive criminal background, including aggravated charges of kidnapping, assault, battery, burglary, arson and more.

As a result of the investigation, deputies concluded Lee and Weiser allegedly killed Boudreaux, dismembered her and left the remains in Slidell.

On July 9, Lee was found and arrested in Mountain Grove, Mo., which is around an hour east of Springfield.. One day later, on July 10, Weiser was arrested in Tennessee.

The two face charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. They will be extradited to Louisiana where they will be booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex with a $1.1 million bail each.

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