The Five Biggest Killing Fields In America

Published January 5, 2016
Updated October 16, 2018

4. Baton Rouge, LA, 37 Bodies Discovered to Date

Baton Rouge Killing Fields In America

In the sweltering capital of Louisiana, women began to fear leaving their homes. In the span of just two months in 2002, police confirmed that a serial killer had killed three women: two were killed in their own homes, one was abducted and then killed.

The three murders were added to a list of at least 37 unsolved cases of murdered women in Baton Rouge in the last decade, many of which bore striking resemblances to one another.

In a city that sees around 60 murders per year, the home-invasion-turned-murder scene stood out among other killings because there was no signs of forced entry. Either the murderer must have seemed innocuous enough for the women to invite him in, or he was someone they knew — or at least they thought they did.

The bayous of Louisiana are humid, teeming with wildlife and, as a result, a great place to go about leaving a body. These swamps are rife with petrified trees and, with enough time, the swamps will give a human body the same treatment.

But the problems for investigators don’t end there. According to Retired Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office Detective Rodie Sanchez, one of the problems a killing field like this presents for law enforcement is the sheer density of its marshy, wooded areas.

“It’s impossible,” he says. “Sometimes we even have to get a helicopter to fly us over and land somewhere. It’s a challenge in every way, shape or form to be a detective in Louisiana.”

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
Austin Harvey
editor
A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Austin Harvey has also had work published with Discover Magazine, Giddy, and Lucid covering topics on mental health, sexual health, history, and sociology. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Point Park University.