Shamekka Lenea Garnette, 20, was last seen 08/13/04 leaving home in Alexandria, Louisiana. Her body was found down an embankment off Old Boyce Highway on 08/17/04. She would have turned 21 just two days later.
At the time of her death Shamekka lived at 3108 4th Street in Alexandria. She had not been reported missing until family saw a news broadcast about the discovery of an unidentified body matching her description.1
She is survived by brother Julius Garnett and sister Venechor Garnett.
Crime Scene
Shamekka was last seen 08/13/04, at approximately 11:30pm, leaving home in a friend’s vehicle. The abandoned vehicle was later located at the Lee Street I-49 onramp, some distance away.2
On 08/17/04 fence repairmen found her lifeless body down an embankment off Old Boyce Highway, about a mile from Airbase Road. Authorities theorize she was killed elsewhere, between 08/13/04-08/15/04, and her body later dumped down the five foot embankment, well away from the view of passing motorists.3
Shamekka had ligature marks and a broken bone in her neck. Cause of death was determined to be strangulation.1
In 2005 Detectives were awaiting DNA evidence to confirm the involvement of potential suspects in the crime.4 However, as of the date of this post, no arrests have been made.
Limited Information
My research revealed very little about Shamekka Lenea Garnette’s background or the crime. If you have a reputable source of information for either, please let me know so it can be incorporated into this summary.
Have Information?
Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is working to solve the Shamekka Lenea Garnette case and bring her killer(s) to justice. A $5,000 reward is offered for an arrest and indictment. If you have information about this crime, please call (318) 473-6727.
Please submit corrections/updates here.
Submit corrections/updates here.Sources:
- Alexandria Town Talk: Reward being offering in slaying investigation, page A6, published 09/18/04. [↩][↩]
- Alexandria Town Talk: Shamekka Garnette half page ad, page D6, published 06/22/14. [↩]
- Alexandria Town Talk: Strangulation ruled woman’s cause of death, page A3, published 08/24/04. [↩]
- Alexandria Town Talk: Slayings among big cases in 2004, page A3, published 01/02/05. [↩]