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REPORTING OFFICER'S NARRATIVE (Brief narrative of the facts surrounding the offense and the arrest.)
At 1:39 a.m., Dispatch received a 911 call regarding the discovery of a body in the Fontaine residence at 655 North Lamar Blvd. The caller identified herself as Ashley Fontaine, the victim's wife.
Unit #221 (Officer Maria Richards) was immediately dispatched to the scene. Detectives Armstrong and Murphy were assigned and proceeded directly to the scene. Coroner's Inspector Luwinda Johnson was notified at the Reporting Investigators' (R/Is) request to respond to the scene. A Yoknapatawpha County EMT unit was dispatched and arrived on the scene at 1:48 a.m. Reporting Officer (R/O) Richards arrived on the scene at 1:52 a.m. At R/O's request, Unit #224 (Officer Steve Harding) was dispatched to the scene to provide backup and assistance. R/O Harding arrived at the scene at 2:01 a.m.
Reporting Investigators (R/Is) arrived at the scene at 2:18 a.m. and found that R/Os had secured the area. Environmental conditions at the scene upon arrival are as follows: Weather: Clear; Ambient Exterior Temperature: 64° F / 18° C; Relative Humidity: 100% percent; Ambient Interior Temperature: 68° F / 20° C; Relative Humidity: 42% percent.
R/O Richards made the following verbal report, which is stated in summary and not verbatim, upon R/Is' arrival.
R/O stated that an adult female, identified as Ashley Fontaine, met R/O in the driveway of the residence upon arrival. The witness directed R/O to the location of the body in the kitchen of the residence.
After confirming the presence of the body, R/O secured the scene and detained the witnesses.
R/O further stated that, to the best of her knowledge, the following personnel have had occasion to enter the crime scene area and must be documented by CSU personnel: witness Ashley Fontaine, witness Grant Fontaine, R/O Harding, EMT personnel Bill Harcourt and Ned Keller, and herself.
After receiving the report from R/O Richards, R/I Murphy contacted Dispatch regarding the status of the Coroner's Inspector and the Crime Scene Unit. Dispatch indicated the Inspector's ETA was approximately 20 minutes and CSU's ETA was approximately 25 minutes.
R/Is conducted a preliminary inspection of the scene. A body was visible in the middle of the kitchen. The body was lying on its right side, head to the west and feet to the east. There were broken dishes, kitchen utensils, and multiple pieces of U.S. Mail strewn about the floor.
R/Is then proceeded to the location of the body. R/Is observed a lifeless human body, a male in middle to late 60s, on the tile kitchen floor. Visual inspection indicated the victim was wearing a navy blue three-piece suit, a white dress shirt, a yellow tie, and black cap-toed shoes. Jewelry included a wedding ring, pinkie ring, tie tack, and pocket watch. The body lay on its right side with the right arm extended at an approximate 45° angle to the body and bent at the elbow at an approximate 45° angle. Clutched in the right hand was a small-caliber pistol.
In the area of the stomach and torso, R/Is observed a pool of what appeared to be blood measuring approximately 12 inches by 10 inches. Visual inspection of the hands revealed contusions and possible broken knuckles. Contusions and abrasions were also visible on the face, left and right arms. A large, sharp force wound was visible in the abdomen area.
Coroner's Inspector Johnson arrived at the scene at approximately 3:19 a.m. and joined R/Is at the body's location. Inspector Johnson pronounced the victim deceased at 3:23 a.m. by visual observation that the victim was not breathing and by tactile observation that the victim did not have a palpable carotid pulse.
Inspector Johnson noted that rigor mortis appeared to be moderately established throughout the body and that the skin was moderately cool to the touch. Inspector Johnson speculated the victim had been dead less than 8 hours, but withheld an official estimate pending an autopsy.
Inspector Johnson said the cause of death appeared to be exsanguination resulting from a sharp force wound to the abdomen by what appeared to be a large blade, but indicated that further details would be available in the official autopsy report.
After Inspector Johnson completed her initial inspection of the body, she stayed with the CSU team to ensure the integrity of the body while the team took photographs of the scene and performed preliminary analyses, until the body could be removed from the scene without destroying other evidence.
Following their preliminary inspection of the scene, R/Is interviewed witness Ashley Fontaine and witness Grant Fontaine at the scene.
R/Is left the scene at 4:45 a.m. Before leaving, R/I Murphy instructed CSU to seal the scene upon completion or end-of-day suspension of processing. CSU to notify R/Is of progress by the end of this date. As of this filing, CSU is still actively processing at the scene.
The body of the deceased was remanded into the custody of Coroner's Inspector Luwinda Johnson. The deceased was removed from the scene at 4:03 a.m. and transported to the coroner's office for autopsy. A preliminary autopsy report is expected within fourteen days of this report.
Evidence was remanded to the custody of Forensic Officer T. R. Douglas for transport to the state crime lab for routine analysis. CSU is expected to submit an inventory of items taken into evidence within fourteen days of this report, with detailed report(s) of their findings to follow at a later date.
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