Family rescues kidnapped woman, kills captor

[n2doc]

Written by
Anastasia Semien

The family of a Duson woman kidnapped earlier in the week tracked down and killed her alleged abductor Friday, authorities said.

Police said Bethany Arceneaux, 29, was kidnapped Wednesday by Scott Thomas, the father of her son. But it was family members who were tipped to an abandoned house near Anderson and Fieldspan roads.

Family said they didn’t know what to expect when they showed up to the home early Friday. A half dozen of them converged on the house, kicked down the door and found her inside, bloodied and repeatedly stabbed.

They also found Thomas, 29, of Leonville.

A confrontation ensued between Thomas and Arceneaux’s family. She was injured, and gunfire erupted, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Capt. Kip Judice said. Thomas died from injuries he sustained during the confrontation, Judice said.

Arceneaux was driven by family members to Lafayette General Medical Center, where was listed in stable condition.

more
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20131108/NEWS01/311080025/Missing-Duson-woman-found-alive-vacant-home-shots-fired

[frogmarch]

1. Very interesting, but where was this?

I assume it happened in the U.S., but what state?

[HappyMe]

2. Louisiana, I believe.

It refers to Lafayette Parish in the article.

[frogmarch]

4. Oh, so it does. I saw

Lafayette Hospital mentioned, but I missed seeing Lafayette Parish.

When I see "Lafayette," I automatically think of Lafayette, Indiana.

Anyway, that was an exciting story, for sure! Thanks for posting it.

[enlightenment]

3. Louisiana, it appears.

I'm glad she's safe, but not thrilled that vigilante justice is apparently becoming the rule and not the exception in this country.

[Brigid]

6. Not thrilled either.

But I'm not so sure the outcome would have been different if the police had been the ones to storm the house.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

9. How, if this is an unusual story, can this indicate that "vigilante justice" becoming the rule?

Do you have links to other stories of a similar nature?

[enlightenment]

12. I was referring to the

growing number of people who believe it is appropriate to take the law into their own hands - primarily thanks to "stand your ground" laws and similar.

You are free to disagree; I won't engage with you on this (just so you know in advance).

[AnotherMcIntosh]

13. I was hoping that you could enlighten me with factual support for your asserted belief.

I don't have the same experience as others. I don't know of any people, growing or otherwise, who believe it is appropriate to take the law into their own hands - primarily thanks to "stand your ground" laws and similar.

Unless I'm mistaken, the family members who rescued this woman who had been beaten and stabbed, were not standing on their ground or standing on anyone else's ground. They took action to help this poor unfortunate woman.

Some people would have never helped her. Her family did. Your disapproval of their rescue efforts doesn't change that.

[enlightenment]

15. Like I said,

I'm not going to engage you on this - and your reply is the reason why.

Have a good day.

[eqfan592]

17. Then may i suggest keeping such comments to yourself?

To go into a thread, make a controversial statement, then say you have no real desire to discuss it at all, is kind of a lame thing to do, imo.

[enlightenment]

18. You are certainly able and capable of suggesting that I do so,

but I would advise that you don't hold your breath.

You don't want to "discuss" it - you want to tell me why my statement is wrong. Not flawed, just wrong - and I'm not in the mood to play your little games.

Have a good day.

[eqfan592]

21. For real, are people entirely incapable of looking at the name of people...

...they are responding to? That's the second time today now. My post to you was my first comment on this thread, and I made it because I was interested in seeing you flesh out your point of view, and because I think refusal to do so in a forum is, as I said, lame.

[cleanhippie]

16. Do you have any evidence connecting SYG laws with vigilante justice?

That is a major assertion you've made, but provided nothing but speculation to support it.

[enlightenment]

19. It is an opinion.

Guess what? I'm entitled to have them.

If you don't see SYG as vigilante justice, that's your opinion.

Our mileage varies.

Have a good day.

[eqfan592]

22. People are indeed entitled to their own opinions. but not their own facts.

And an opinion not based on facts isn't much of an opinion in my book, so I'd have to assume you have some to back yours up.

[magical thyme]

24. There was no SYG here. Her family was tipped off to where they might find her...

They went there looking for her. They heard her screaming for help, found repeatedly stabbed. There was a confrontation and "gunfire erupted." Doesn't sound like there was time to do anything but get her out of there. From the article:

“If we would have waited, she would have been dead.”

Alfred said when the family entered the house, they heard cries for help.

“Just screaming … ‘help, help,’” he said. “That’s about it.”


That's not vigilantism. It's responding to an emergency to save the life of a loved one, plain and simple. Vigilantism would be chasing the guy down and killing him. They didn't chase him down. He was killing a family member and they saved her. Frankly, that's what families are supposed to do. They didn't set out to kill him. In the end they were protecting her and themselves from his gunfire.

[cleanhippie]

25. Easy, Cujo, no one is attacking you.

Yes, you gave your opinion. Nothing wrong with that. Your opinion included an assertion that should have some evidence to support it, otherwise it's just baseless speculation that has no bearing on the story in the OP.

[Ranchemp.]

26. This family didn't use vigilante justice, not even the police believe that.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20131108/NEWS01/311080025/Missing-Duson-woman-found-alive-vacant-home-shots-fired?nclick_check=1

Judice said family members were acting in defense of Arceneaux.

They were acting in self defense of their sister.

[sendero]

41. Well...

.. assuming the facts outlined in the story are substantially true, the family of the kidnapper wouldn't want me on any grand jury, because I'd no-bill this bullshit in a heartbeat.

Kidnaps his ex, takes her to an abandoned house and cuts her up? FUCK HIM and I don't care who does it.

[magical thyme]

20. not "vigilante justice" in my book. self-defense is more like it.

They found her beaten and stabbed. Were they supposed to hang around with their arms folded waiting for the cops to come while he finished the job? They did what they needed to get her and themselves out alive.

[Ranchemp.]

23. I agree and so do the police.

Judice said family members were acting in defense of Arceneaux.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20131108/NEWS01/311080025/Missing-Duson-woman-found-alive-vacant-home-shots-fired?nclick_check=1

Seriously doubt that any charges will be brought against the family.

[christx30]

38. The police missed it in their search.

Had the family not acted, this woman would most likely be dead. At least the bad guy died of lead poisoning. The story had a happy ending.

[jberryhill]

7. Near Fieldspan Road, apparently

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. Apparently, contacting the police and obtaining a protective order wasn't sufficient.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20131107/NEWS01/311070034/Police-Man-violated-protection-order-kidnapped-Duson-woman

[theHandpuppet]

10. Too often, that only escalates the violent response

Protective orders aren't worth squat.

[treestar]

8. I wonder if they will be able to make out a self defense case

or even parlay it into a manslaughter charge. Granted they should have called police, but is the rescue against the law? Probably not.

[HappyMe]

14. I don't think the rescue is against the law.

Killing the guy is. I wish that they had let the police deal with the guy, mostly because the added stress and worry about charges and the trial won't do that family any good.

[ancianita]

34. Maybe the guy wouldn't LET them hold him until police got there. Maybe he gave them no choice.

[HappyMe]

35. I don't know. I wasn't there.

edit to add -

I'm glad the woman is safe and recovering from this.

[treestar]

43. They may not have had to be on the scene

They knew where to go; could have told the police.

[boston bean]

11. She won't have to live in fear her whole life, and she has a life.

He fought the family, he had abducted and stabbed the mother of his child. He was obviously a danger.

I can see how it turned out the way it did.

[LittleBlue]

27. Good, the scum died

No investigation needed here, nothing of value was lost.

[cleanhippie]

29. An interesting opinion to hold on a Progressive website.

[LittleBlue]

32. For a guy who abducts and stabs his girlfriend

Sorry, no sympathy from me. Maybe you can find progressives who object to this, I'm not one of them.

[cleanhippie]

36. Also an interesting rationalization. Thanks for sharing.

No snark or sarcasm intended or implied.

[eqfan592]

31. That's going to far i think.

We have no idea what issues this guy may have had leading up to this. I'm not saying I think the family was in the wrong (far from it actually) but calling him scum is over the top I think.

[christx30]

40. A guy that abducts and stabs

any innocent person is automatically a shitty person. There's no way for him to justify himself. Mental problems? Should have sought help for them before kidnapping and stabbing someone. I don't care about his issues. I don't give a rat's ass about his troubles. He is scum. That's not over the line at all. Scum is the kindest way of putting it. Besides, he's dead. He lost in the end. Any name calling is irrelevant. This should happen to more kidnappers. The world would be a much better place.

[sarisataka]

28. Good rescue but strange story

it sounds like the police were also in the area looking for the woman but the family heard her shouts first.

Without specific details it cannot be said that letting the police go in was the best course of action. It is unclear how many police were there and how far away were they. If time was critical it is entirely justified that the family needed to act immediately.

As for the death of the captor, that is worthy of investigation. If the evidence shows he was harming his captive at the time or he violently resisted, then it is a case of self defense. If it can be shown he was restrained by the family then shot, it would be a vigilante act and they could be charged. It appears there is an investigation but I believe the family will not be charged unless it is very clear they executed the captor after he was helpless.

[elehhhhna]

30. when you shoot a guy who is stabbing your niece

you are n ot charged. Not in Louisiana. Look for the pics. She was a mess. Her uncle carried her to the car. He's a good uncle.

[sarisataka]

33. Unless

you have tackled him and have four people sitting on him...

I believe that was not the case and it will be ruled justifiable but the tone of the article implies there is at least a small question of what happened.

I don't want to paint all of Louisiana with the same brush, but if it was New Orleans PD they would have likely offered to hold the guy down for the family to kill him.

[rdharma]

37. "I told y'all we was getting revenge!" Very disturbing.

Listen to the end of this video.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20131108/NEWS01/311080025/Family-rescues-kidnapped-Duson-woman-kills-captor

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. weird story. glad she was rescued

[ileus]

42. It's nice to have family that cares.

I don't know if they cared enough to send the very best, but those that showed up did get the job done.


Glad she'll be ok, and it's a good thing she won't have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder for the next attack.