Man Charged in Cold Case Murder of La. Mother of 3: 'Significant Development' By Nicole Acosta

Eight years after a mother of three was found shot to death in her Louisiana home, authorities have made an arrest.

In a statement shared on Tuesday, Dec. 23, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Troy Scott Jordan, who has been booked into jail on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the 2017 death of Donna Arceneaux.

It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Authorities have not shared further details about what led to the arrest, but said the investigation remains active.

“The arrest of Mr. Jordan marks a significant development in our ongoing effort to ensure accountability for this murder,” the statement reads. The sheriff’s office also thanked local agencies for their efforts in the case.

Arceneaux, 40, was found dead with a gunshot wound to her chest inside her Franklinton home on Oct. 24, 2017, the sheriff’s office said in a previous statement. Officers responded to the residence around midnight after two friends who were unable to reach Arceneaux decided to check on her.

The sheriff’s office referred to the incident as an “unclassified shooting death” at the time.

A loved one told WWL-TV in 2023 that the single mother of three seemed happy while attending a local fair two days before she was found dead. An autopsy determined her death was a homicide. However, this was not immediately shared with the public, leading to speculation that Arceneaux had died by suicide, the outlet reported.

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“I was like, ‘There’s no way she did that.’ She wouldn’t have left her daughter,” Arceneaux’s sister, Sherry Pigott, said, per the outlet. “She loved her daughter. She loved her children. We never believed that. We never thought that from the beginning.”

At the family’s request, the case was handed over to state police. Then-Sheriff Randy “Country” Seal said the agency may notice something local investigators “might have missed,” the outlet reported.

Pigott said her late sister ran a spa out of her home. She remembered her as outgoing and adventurous.