1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.

2
00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400
All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

3
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160
Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.

4
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560
Listener discretion is advised.

5
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.

6
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680
And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.

7
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,440
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.

8
00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:36,480
Hello everyone and welcome back.

9
00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:40,000
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.

10
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:46,160
And my handsome husband and co-host, Eli Sulkowski, is feeling a little sick this week, so it

11
00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,800
will just be me bringing you the podcast this week.

12
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:55,560
Right at the top, I just wanted to say a really big thank you to Arianna, who recently donated

13
00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:02,000
to our Buy Us a Coffee, which just helps us cover the cost of podcasting and all the expenses

14
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,520
that go into it.

15
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,400
Thank you so much for your donation.

16
00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,080
It means the world to us.

17
00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:09,720
I know times are tight right now.

18
00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:11,800
Grocery prices are expensive.

19
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:12,800
Everything's expensive.

20
00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:18,460
So when people find an extra five, 10, or even more, it just blows my mind.

21
00:01:18,460 --> 00:01:21,880
I just want to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

22
00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:22,880
Thank you.

23
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:30,480
So this week we are on episode 44, and we are on a cold case this week.

24
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:37,600
So today I have for you the case of Luther Meshell, which takes place in March of 1991

25
00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:39,320
in Shreveport, Louisiana.

26
00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:43,120
But first, a little bit about Luther.

27
00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,640
Luther is 50 years old in 1991.

28
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:51,600
He was born February 24, 1941, and he would be 82 years old today.

29
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,160
He often went by the nickname Bud or Buddy.

30
00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,360
He was a retired pulpwood truck driver.

31
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,400
And a pulpwood truck driver, those are those trucks that have all the logs on the back

32
00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,480
of them that you sometimes see driving down the interstate.

33
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:12,600
So he used to drive those trucks, but he had been injured pretty severely 20 years earlier

34
00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,560
when a tree had fallen on him in Texas.

35
00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,960
Because of this, he used crutches and a wheelchair to get around.

36
00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,800
He was the loving father of two, Allen and Tammy.

37
00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:28,240
Allen is 17 years old in 1991, and Tammy is in her early 20s.

38
00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:34,880
Luther had just celebrated his 50th birthday the month before in his home on Michel Avenue,

39
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,160
which is spelled differently from his last name.

40
00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,040
It's the French spelling for Michael.

41
00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,960
His home still had the decorations up, crepe paper and balloons.

42
00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,080
Luther loved music.

43
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,920
He would occasionally DJ for friends and for parties happening around the area.

44
00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:55,680
According to his daughter Tammy, quote, he was very outgoing.

45
00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:03,600
The most important thing to him was me, Allen, his mother, and his music, end quote.

46
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,800
And now a timeline of events.

47
00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,120
On Wednesday, March 27, 1991.

48
00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:16,920
So like other cases that we've covered here on Cold and Missing, I don't know a lot

49
00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:22,880
about the days leading up to the murder, but here is what I do know.

50
00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:29,960
At around 735 in the evening, Luther's 17 year old son finds Luther dead on the floor

51
00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:31,520
of his bedroom.

52
00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:36,400
There are few details available about the crime scene, but what we do know, the scene

53
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,780
was very brutal.

54
00:03:38,780 --> 00:03:42,100
There was blood smeared on the kitchen floor.

55
00:03:42,100 --> 00:03:47,280
Luther had been stabbed multiple times in his chest and his back and his throat had

56
00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:48,480
been cut.

57
00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:53,240
At the scene, investigators note that the phone line had been cut so that way nobody

58
00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,160
could call for help.

59
00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,480
In addition, several items were taken from Luther's home.

60
00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:09,220
Most notably, his 1997 Oldsmobile Delta 88 was missing, his TV, his stereo, and $30.

61
00:04:09,220 --> 00:04:14,160
His daughter Tammy says, quote, my daddy didn't have a lot of material things.

62
00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:19,960
They stole his TV, his stereo, his car, $30 and his life.

63
00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:21,560
And I just don't understand.

64
00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,820
It was obvious they were there as a robbery.

65
00:04:23,820 --> 00:04:26,960
They didn't have to kill him, end quote.

66
00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,540
Eventually investigators will determine that Luther had been dead around two days by the

67
00:04:31,540 --> 00:04:37,440
time he was found, which would place his death somewhere between Sunday, March 24 and Monday,

68
00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,440
March 25.

69
00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:47,160
The next day, Thursday, March 28, police find Luther's 1997 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in a parking

70
00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:52,800
lot of an apartment complex in the Queensborough neighborhood of Shreveport.

71
00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,480
This would have been about 15 minutes away from Luther's home.

72
00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,400
There are no details around the condition of the car or what, if any, evidence the police

73
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,040
were able to pull.

74
00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:09,400
Tammy, Luther's daughter, believes that her father was targeted because he used a wheelchair.

75
00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:14,920
Police spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says, quote, robbery looks more probable than any motive,

76
00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:15,920
end quote.

77
00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,400
His son Alan summed it all up by saying, quote, it is just terrible, end quote.

78
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,920
And then this case feels like it goes cold pretty quickly.

79
00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:32,780
I'm sure police were working it around the time of the crime, so March of 1991 into April

80
00:05:32,780 --> 00:05:34,160
of 1991.

81
00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:41,200
But there's no reporting on it that I could find in local newspaper or in the local media.

82
00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,940
So the next big update that I could find happens in 2009.

83
00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:51,040
And this comes by effort of Allen and Tammy, Luther's children.

84
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,360
They start a campaign to find their dad's killer.

85
00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:59,360
So they make up a bunch of posters and spend hours putting them all over Shreveport, specifically

86
00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:04,160
around where their father lived, hoping to jog someone's memory.

87
00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:09,840
There were no details if any leads came from this, but it got people talking about his

88
00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:12,800
case again in June of 2010.

89
00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,780
So this would be 19 years since Luther's murder.

90
00:06:15,780 --> 00:06:18,720
Police say they have no leads or suspects.

91
00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,520
The Shreveport spokesperson at this time, Bill Goodin, says, quote, the passage of time

92
00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,640
does not diminish our desires or efforts to solve these homicides.

93
00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:32,440
The detective who worked these crimes feel a solemn sense of responsibility in that they

94
00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:38,000
must solve the case to bring closure and justice to the families and victims, end quote.

95
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:44,340
Over the years, Crimestoppers had put Luther's case on billboards in the Shreveport area,

96
00:06:44,340 --> 00:06:49,880
and police had put his case on playing cards put into the prison system.

97
00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:55,360
So this is something that we've talked about on the podcast before as kind of an investigative

98
00:06:55,360 --> 00:07:00,400
tool where police will make a deck of cards and each card has a different cold case or

99
00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:01,940
missing person.

100
00:07:01,940 --> 00:07:06,760
And they put them into the local county jails and prisons with the belief that people in

101
00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:11,120
prison would know more about cold cases or missing people.

102
00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,280
All in all, they're just trying to get a jailhouse informant.

103
00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,880
Luther's daughter Tammy says, quote, it's been horrible.

104
00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,080
Everyone said that time would heal the wound, but that hasn't been true in my case.

105
00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,160
The longer it goes, the worse it is.

106
00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,400
I just want to know.

107
00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:27,720
I simply want to know.

108
00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,720
Police say they continue to review the case file in hopes of finding new leads that might

109
00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:33,340
lead to arrest.

110
00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:35,520
But as of now, they have nothing.

111
00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:40,880
Tammy said, quote, if anyone can remember anything, please come forward and help solve

112
00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,320
this so my brother and I can heal and get some closure.

113
00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,400
I'm not concerned about the jail time or the death penalty.

114
00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,640
I just want to know, end quote.

115
00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:57,720
In March of 2016, the local media started covering Luther's case on the anniversary

116
00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,560
of his murder each year for a few years.

117
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:06,720
However, in 2016, it was noted that while the family believed that robbery was a motive,

118
00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,920
they also believe a female acquaintance was involved in the murder.

119
00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,680
But there are no more details surrounding this.

120
00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:15,760
Police have not given up on the case.

121
00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,160
Corporal Marcus Hines says, quote, you can't afford to give up on a case because there's

122
00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:24,680
been so many cases in the past that through continuous efforts, they've been able to

123
00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,280
be in arrest and closure for the family, end quote.

124
00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:34,320
And Luther's daughter Tammy says in March of 2016, it's been 25 years full of questions

125
00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:38,360
of so many memories being lost, end quote.

126
00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,080
And that was really the last update that I could find.

127
00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,880
Media had covered the case again, but there had been no real updates or changes in the

128
00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,360
story from years prior.

129
00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:52,460
And at this point, this case is now 32 years cold.

130
00:08:52,460 --> 00:08:57,920
So if you know anything about the murder of Luther Meshell in March of 1991 in Shreveport

131
00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:04,040, Louisiana, you are encouraged to call the Shareef Port Caddo Parish Crime Stoppers

132
00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:09,280
at 318-673-7373.

133
00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:15,800
And the sources for the timeline today come from the Shreveport Journal, The Times,

134
00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,880
and KTBS 3.

135
00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:23,520
So that is all we know of Luther Meshell's murder.

136
00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:28,000
And it's obviously such a horrible one.

137
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,840
Here's a man who was already vulnerable.

138
00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,360
You know, he was using crutches and wheelchairs to get around.

139
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:43,080
So the brutalness of this crime just seems like way too much.

140
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:47,920
What I keep coming back to in this case, as I've been researching it again and again,

141
00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:55,280
is just how brutal his murder truly was to be stabbed so many times, to have your throat

142
00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:56,440
cut.

143
00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:02,880
The fact that there was blood smeared in one room, but he was found in another room, just

144
00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:11,840
suggests such great violence and, frankly, overkill that seems so unnecessary for the

145
00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:13,160
things that were taken.

146
00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:14,960
A TV, a stereo, $30.

147
00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,880
And his car, which was later abandoned.

148
00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:25,080
So really all these people got were a TV, a stereo, and $30.

149
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:26,840
And I say people.

150
00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:27,840
Maybe it's just one person.

151
00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:28,840
I don't know.

152
00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:38,080
I was interested when I read later in the 2016 review of the case in the local media

153
00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:46,640
how the family mentioned a female acquaintance just because this case does seem so violent.

154
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:52,880
That just for a robbery to have taken place, that it's like there has to be something

155
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:54,560
more involved in this.

156
00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:58,120
And of course, maybe it was just robbery.

157
00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:03,200
Me personally, in my life, I know somebody who was murdered after she walked in on her

158
00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:04,200
home being robbed.

159
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,160
And her murder was really brutal as well.

160
00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,400
And nothing of any significant value was taken.

161
00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:16,080
And the person who has been charged with her crime didn't know her beforehand, had no personal

162
00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:21,220
vendetta against her or her family, but just happened to be robbing her home when she came

163
00:11:21,220 --> 00:11:23,200
home from school.

164
00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:31,080
So I do have a personal experience with just like a violent robbery kind of gone wrong

165
00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:32,400
or interrupted.

166
00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,000
So I do know that it can happen.

167
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,140
And I do believe it does happen.

168
00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:43,200
It's really sad to see people's lives taken over material things, things that can be bought

169
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:49,680
and replaced, traded, and things that eventually upgrade, get new things.

170
00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:53,400
But people's lives can never be replaced.

171
00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:58,680
That's just something I come to again and again is just like why, what is the motive

172
00:11:58,680 --> 00:11:59,680
here?

173
00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:04,800
Was it just robbery as the police say is the most likely things were taken, of course,

174
00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,200
but is there something else?

175
00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:12,880
Again, I don't want to speculate too hard on that, but the family did mention the female

176
00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:14,760
acquaintance.

177
00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,000
Another thing I have a lot of questions about is just his car being found.

178
00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,080
I would love to know more details around that.

179
00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,480
Was there anything missing from the car?

180
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,880
What kind of condition was the car in?

181
00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:29,880
Was it locked?

182
00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:30,880
Was it unlocked?

183
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:31,880
Were the keys in it?

184
00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,600
Have his keys been found?

185
00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:39,360
Were they able to lift any fingerprints from the steering wheel, the rear view mirror,

186
00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,720
the car handles, the car door?

187
00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:46,640
I think if I was handed this case tomorrow and just asked like, hey, what would you do

188
00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:47,640
next?

189
00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:51,680
I think one of the first things I would be interested in is, is there anything from this

190
00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:59,320
car that could be tested with advanced technology or just reviewed more closely?

191
00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:06,160
And also while police say they have no suspects or leads, I wonder if there has ever been

192
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:11,760
a person of interest or just who have they interviewed and crossed off?

193
00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,000
Is there somebody that they considered that they were able to rule out?

194
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:20,000
I would just be interested to know who has popped up in this, what stories have cropped

195
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,120
up in Luther's death, just because there's so little information surrounding it.

196
00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:32,480
But as soon as I heard the story, I just instantly felt that this is a case that cold and missing

197
00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:33,480
should cover.

198
00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,960
This is somebody who was already vulnerable.

199
00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:43,080
This is somebody who could take care of himself and did take care of himself, but somebody

200
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,760
like took advantage of his vulnerability.

201
00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:53,880
And I just, you know, it feels like it just is such a great injustice.

202
00:13:53,880 --> 00:14:00,280
And I just knew it was a case that I had to find out more about and research and just

203
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,080
try to get his name out there again.

204
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:09,360
So again, if you know anything about the murder of Luther Meshell in Shreveport, Louisiana

205
00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:20,320
in March of 1991, please call the Shreveport Caddo Parish Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373.

206
00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,880
And again, another big thank you to Arianna for donating to us.

207
00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:28,360
If that's something that you are interested in, if you've got $5 burning a hole in your

208
00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,960
pocket, you can go to our website, coldandmissing.com.

209
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,440
And from there, you can donate to us.

210
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,000
You can also leave us a review, which we appreciate so much.

211
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,120
We've had lots of reviews on the website recently and on Apple podcasts.

212
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,320
So thank you, thank you, thank you again.

213
00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:50,760
If you've done this, it really helps other people just find us and view us with credibility,

214
00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,360
knowing that other people have listened and have enjoyed.

215
00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,520
So thank you for being part of that.

216
00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,080
I appreciate it so much.

217
00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:06,000
And just by reviewing and sharing this podcast with your friends and family, you are helping

218
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:12,360
get these names out there, helping get these cases back in people's minds and talking about

219
00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:13,360
them.

220
00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,760
And you are directly doing this work along with us.

221
00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:22,680
So thank you so much for being here, for coming along with us on this journey as we enter

222
00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,920
our second year here shortly at the end of the summer.

223
00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,440
Will be our one year anniversary of the podcast.

224
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:35,200
And I'm so proud of this and I'm so proud of the community that's being built around

225
00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:36,280
it.

226
00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:41,480
If you want to be a part of it, you can follow us on Instagram at Cold and Missing.

227
00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,280
We have lots of conversations in the comment sections.

228
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,960
Also on YouTube, I always post our podcasts just on YouTube.

229
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:51,560
There's no fancy video with it.

230
00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:57,840
I am in my mid thirties and very busy, so I do not have time to make videos.

231
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:03,800
I do apologize, but I do put the audio up there with pictures of the people we're covering.

232
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,680
And there's lots of conversation happening in the comments over on YouTube as well.

233
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,760
So you're always more than welcome to join us over there and hop in.

234
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,600
But other than that, I hope you have a great week and stay safe, y'all.