Ducet lived alone on a 40 acre property that bordered the edge of Casache National Forest.

According to property records, he had owned the land since 1999 and had built a small cabin there where he lived year round.

Neighbors described him as reclusive and unfriendly, someone who kept to himself and did not welcome visitors.

He had no close family in the area and rarely came into town except to buy supplies or fuel for his truck.

What made Ducid a person of interest was not just his proximity to the forest, but his history.

A search of law enforcement databases revealed that he had been cited multiple times over the years for hunting violations.

In 2003, he was fined for hunting deer out of season.

In 2007, he received a warning for setting illegal traps on public land.

In 2011, he was briefly detained after a confrontation with a park ranger who had found him hunting in a restricted zone with a traditional longbow, a weapon that fit the profile investigators were now looking for.

The rangers report from that incident noted that Ducet had been uncooperative and hostile, refusing to provide identification until threatened with arrest.

He was ultimately released with a citation, but the encounter left an impression.

The ranger described him as someone who seemed to view the forest as his own territory and resented any outside presence.

Investigators decided that Raymond Ducet warranted further scrutiny.

On April 28th, 2018, two detectives from the Nacatesh Parish Sheriff’s Office drove out to Ducid’s property to conduct what they described as a preliminary interview.

They did not have a warrant and were not planning to make an arrest.

The goal was simply to talk to him, to gauge his behavior, and to determine whether he might have any information relevant to the case.

The property was accessed by a narrow dirt road that wounded through dense pine forest for nearly a mile before opening into a clearing where the cabin stood.

The structure was modest, built from rough cut lumber with a rusted metal roof and a covered porch cluttered with old tools, animal traps, and firewood.

A faded green pickup truck was parked near the cabin.

As the detectives pulled up, they noticed that the surrounding area was littered with debris, tarps stretched between trees, plastic barrels, stacks of wooden pallets, and what appeared to be animal hides hanging from a rail to dry.

When the detective stepped out of their vehicle, Raymond Ducid emerged from the cabin.

He was a tall man, lean and weathered, with a graying beard and deep set eyes that seemed to assess the visitors with suspicion before they even spoke.

He did not greet them.

According to the report filed later, one of the detectives introduced himself and explained that they were investigating a case involving remains found in the forest and were speaking to residents in the area to see if anyone had noticed unusual activity over the past few years.

Ducet’s response was Curt.

He said he had not seen anything and did not know anything about any remains.

He did not ask for details.

He did not express surprise or concern.

He simply stated that he minded his own business and expected others to do the same.

The detectives asked if he recalled seeing any strangers or campers in the area around March of 2014.

Det paused before answering, then said he did not keep track of people coming and going in the forest.

When asked if he used a bow for hunting, he confirmed that he did, but stated that it was legal and none of their concern.

One of the detectives noted in his report that Ducet’s demeanor throughout the conversation was defensive and evasive, though not openly hostile.

He answered questions with the minimum number of words and volunteered no additional information.

The interaction lasted less than 10 minutes before Ducet made it clear that the conversation was over.

He told the detectives that unless they had a warrant, they were trespassing on his property and needed to leave.

The detectives complied, but both agreed on the drive back that Raymond Ducet was someone they needed to watch closely.

There was something in his manner, a guardedness that went beyond ordinary privacy that suggested he was hiding something.

Over the next several days, investigators conducted background research on Ducet.

They discovered that he had moved to Louisiana in the late 1990s after spending most of his earlier life in eastern Texas.

He had worked sporadically in manual labor jobs, logging, construction, and equipment maintenance, but had no stable employment history.

He had never been married and had no children.

His only known relatives were a sister in Texas who had not spoken to him in over a decade and a deceased mother whose estate he had inherited, providing him the funds to purchase the land in Bellwood.

More troubling were the reports from locals.

Investigators spoke to several residents of the Bellwood area and nearby communities.

A store clerk recalled that Ducet would sometimes come in with game meat to sell rabbit, squirrel, wild pig, though she could not say for certain whether it was always legally obtained.

A former neighbor mentioned that Ducet had once threatened him for walking too close to his property line, shouting that trespassor would be dealt with.

Another individual, a retired ranger, remembered Ducet from years back and described him as someone who seemed to believe the forest belonged to him and resented anyone who used it.

None of these accounts constituted evidence of a crime, but they painted a picture of a man who was territorial, aggressive, and deeply familiar with the woods where Andrew Finch had been found.

Investigators wanted to search Ducid’s property, but they needed probable cause to obtain a warrant.

The fact that he owned a bow and lived near the burial site was not enough.

They needed something more concrete.

That breakthrough came in early May when forensic analysts completed a more detailed examination of the arrow head removed from Andrew Finch’s skull.

Using a scanning electron microscope, they were able to identify trace elements embedded in the rust and corrosion on the metal surface.

Among these trace elements were microscopic particles of a specific type of wood fiber consistent with pine and residues of an adhesive compound that had likely been used to attach fletching to the arrow shaft.

The adhesive contained a chemical signature that matched a type of glue commonly used in handmade arrows, particularly those crafted by traditional archery enthusiasts.

More importantly, the lab was able to extract a partial fingerprint from a section of the arrow head where corrosion had been less severe.

It was not a complete print, only a fragment, but it was enough to run through the fingerprint database maintained by the FBI.

On May 9th, the results came back.

The partial print matched a fingerprint on file for Raymond Ducet.

The print had been taken years earlier during a background check related to a firearms purchase.

It was not a perfect match due to the partial nature of the recovered print, but forensic experts rated the comparison as a highly probable match, sufficient to establish a connection between Ducet and the weapon that had killed Andrew Finch.

This was the evidence investigators needed.

On May 11th, 2018, a judge issued a search warrant for Raymond Ducet’s property and an arrest warrant for Ducet himself on suspicion of murder.

The operation was planned carefully.

Given Ducet’s known hostility toward law enforcement and his familiarity with the terrain, authorities decided to execute the warrant with a tactical team present.

Early on the morning of May 12th, more than a dozen officers, including sheriff’s deputies, state police, and a SWAT unit, assembled at a staging area several miles from Ducid’s cabin.

They approached the property just after dawn, using multiple vehicles to block the access road and prevent any possibility of escape.

When the convoy reached the clearing, they found Ducet’s truck parked in the same spot it had been during the earlier visit, but there was no sign of Ducet himself.

Officers surrounded the cabin and announced their presence over a loudspeaker, ordering Ducet to come out with his hands visible.

There was no response.

After several minutes of repeated commands, the tactical team entered the cabin.

Inside, they found the space cluttered and dimly lit with a single room serving as living area, kitchen, and bedroom.

There were shelves lined with jars of preserved food, a wood burning stove, a narrow bed, and a table covered with tools and hunting equipment.

But Raymond Dusa was not there.

A search of the immediate area around the cabin revealed no sign of him.

His truck was present, which meant he had not driven away, but the surrounding forest offered countless places to hide.

Officers spread out and began combing the property, checking out buildings, sheds, and the dense woods that pressed in on all sides.

It was during this search that they found something that would prove critical to the investigation.

Behind the cabin, partially concealed under a tarp weighted down with stones, was a workbench.

On the bench were the tools and materials used for crafting arrows.

There were bundles of wooden dowels, containers of adhesive, spools of thread for wrapping fletching, and several dozen arrow heads in various stages of completion.

Some were new and shiny, others were old and showed signs of use.

Forensic technicians photographed everything and collected samples for analysis.

Nearby, leaning against the wall of a shed, was a long bow.

It was a traditional style bow roughly 6 feet in length made from laminated wood with a leather grip.

The draw weight was estimated at over 70 lb, more than enough to drive an arrow through a human skull.

The bow was seized as evidence.

Inside the shed, investigators found other items of interest.

There were plastic storage bins filled with clothing, some of it appearing worn and stained.

There were bags of various personal items, watches, wallets, small electronics, and identification cards.

Among these items, investigators found a Texas driver’s license belonging to Colin Hayes.

They found a wallet with credit cards in the name of Derek Pullman.

They found a wristwatch engraved with the initials JL, which matched the description of a watch owned by Justin Lamb.

According to his family, these discoveries were documented immediately and photographed in place before being collected as evidence.

The presence of personal items belonging to all three of the missing men provided a direct link between Raymond Ducet and the victims.

It was no longer a matter of suspicion or circumstantial connection.

These were the belongings of men who had vanished.

Found in the possession of a man who lived in the forest where one of them had been buried with an arrow through his skull.

The search for Raymond Ducet continued throughout the day and into the following morning.

Officers established a perimeter around the property and expanded the search grid into the surrounding forest.

Tracking dogs were brought in and followed sent trails that led away from the cabin and deeper into the woods, but the trails eventually dissipated in areas of thick undergrowth and standing water.

Helicopters equipped with infrared cameras scan the canopy from above, looking for heat signatures that might indicate a person hiding beneath the trees.

Despite these efforts, Ducet remained elusive.

Investigators began to suspect that he had either fled the area before the warrant was executed or had gone to ground in a location he had prepared in advance, somewhere deep in the forest that only he knew about.

Given his decades of living on the edge of the wilderness and his apparent skill in moving through the terrain undetected, this seemed increasingly likely.

While the manhunt continued, forensic teams worked to process the evidence collected from the property.

The items found in the shed were examined in detail.

The driver’s license belonging to Colin Hayes was photographed and checked against records.

The photograph on the license matched the missing man, and the issue date confirmed it had been current at the time of his disappearance.

The wallet containing Derek Pullman’s credit cards also held a small photograph of his girlfriend, a detail that his family confirmed as accurate.

The wristwatch with the initials JL was shown to Justin Lamb’s mother, who positively identified it as a gift she had given her son on his 25th birthday.

He had been wearing it the day he left for the camping trip.

The presence of these items raised a critical question.

If Ducid had killed Andrew Finch and buried his body in the forest, what had he done with the other three men? Their personal belongings were in his possession, but their remains had not been found despite extensive searches.

Investigators considered several possibilities.

One theory was that the other men had been killed in different locations and their bodies disposed of in ways that made recovery unlikely.

The forest contains swamps, sinkholes, and waterways where remains could be submerged or scattered by animals.

Another possibility was that the bodies had been burned or otherwise destroyed, leaving little or no trace.

The absence of remains did not mean the men were still alive.

Given the evidence, it seemed far more likely that all four had met the same fate as Andrew Finch.

The forensic examination of the arrowheads found on Ducet’s workbench provided additional insights.

Several of the arrow heads were compared with the one recovered from Andrew Finch’s skull.

While the embedded arrow head was severely corroded, the general design and dimensions matched several of the unused arrowheads found on the property.

Metallergical analysis confirmed that the iron content and manufacturing characteristics were consistent.

This supported the conclusion that the weapon used to kill Andrew Finch had been made by Raymond Ducet, likely in the same workspace where dozens of similar arrows had been crafted over the years.

The long bow found in the shed was also examined.

Testing determined that the bow had a draw weight of approximately 75 lbs and was capable of launching an arrow with sufficient force to penetrate bone at close to moderate range.

Investigators consulted with an expert in traditional archery who confirmed that a bow of this type in the hands of someone experienced could easily deliver a fatal shot to a human target at distances of up to 50 yards or more.

The expert also noted that the wear patterns on the boughs limbs and string grooves indicated it had been used extensively over many years.

On May 14th, 2 days after the search warrant was executed, the Nacatesh Parish Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to update the public on the investigation.

The sheriff confirmed that human remains identified as those of Andrew Finch had been found in Casace National Forest and that the death was being investigated as a homicide.

He announced that a suspect had been identified and that an arrest warrant had been issued, but he did not release the suspect’s name at that time, citing the ongoing manhunt.

He urged anyone with information about the whereabouts of the suspect or the disappearance of the other three men to come forward.

The press conference generated significant media attention.

News outlets across Louisiana and Texas picked up the story and it quickly spread to national media.

The case was featured on several crime news programs and online platforms.

Photographs of Colin Hayes, Derek Pullman, Justin Lamb, and Andrew Finch were shown alongside images of the forest where the search was taking place.

The families of the missing men gave interviews, pleading for anyone with knowledge of what had happened to contact authorities.

The publicity brought in a flood of tips, but most led nowhere.

People reported seeing men matching the descriptions of the victims in various locations, but none of the sightings could be confirmed.

Others called in with theories or suspicions about individuals in their communities, but investigation of these leads produced no credible connections to the case.

Then on May 16th, a tip came in that proved to be significant.

A woman who lived in a rural area approximately 15 mi north of Ducet’s property called the sheriff’s office to report that she had seen a man matching the description of Raymond Ducet near an abandoned hunting camp on the edge of the national forest.

She said the man had been walking along a dirt road early that morning, carrying a backpack and moving quickly as if trying to avoid being seen.

She had not approached him, but had watched from a distance as he entered the woods near the old camp.

The tip was deemed credible enough to warrant immediate action.

A tactical team was dispatched to the location the woman had described.

The abandoned hunting camp was a cluster of dilapidated structures that had once been used by a hunting club, but had been vacant for years.

The buildings were in poor condition with collapsed roofs and walls overtaken by vegetation.

It was the kind of place that would appeal to someone trying to stay hidden.

Officers approached the site cautiously, surrounding the area and moving in on foot to avoid detection.

As they closed in on the main structure, they spotted movement inside.

A man was crouched near a broken window, partially obscured by shadow.

When officers called out and ordered him to show himself, the figure did not comply.

Instead, he moved deeper into the building.

Fearing that the suspect might be armed, the tactical team deployed a flashbang device to disorient him and then stormed the structure.

Inside, they found Raymond Ducet huddled in a corner, unarmed and offering no resistance.

He was taken into custody without incident.

Ducid was transported to the Nacates Parish detention center and placed in an interrogation room.

He was read his rights and informed that he was being held on suspicion of murder.

Initially, he refused to speak, sitting in silence with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on the table in front of him.

Detectives attempted to engage him in conversation, asking basic questions about his background and his activities, but he gave no response.

This continued for nearly an hour.

Then, one of the detectives placed a series of photographs on the table in front of him.

The photographs showed the items recovered from his property, the driver’s license, the wallet, the wristwatch, and the arrowheads.

Detach glanced at the images, but said nothing.

The detective then placed a photograph of Andrew Finch’s skull on the table with the rusted arrow head still embedded in the bone.

It was at this moment, according to the official transcript of the interrogation, that Ducid’s composure began to crack.

He stared at the photograph for a long time, his jaw tightening, and then he spoke.

His first words were, “They shouldn’t have been there.

” The detective asked him to explain what he meant.

Ducid hesitated, then said that the men had been trespassing, that they had come onto land he considered his own, and that he had warned them to leave, but they had refused.

This statement was the beginning of what would become a partial confession.

Though Ducet never admitted to all of the details, and his account of events remained inconsistent and self-serving.

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