Louisiana Woman Found Dead From Apparent Stabbing, Victim’s Son Suspected

On December 23, 2022, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that the Hessmer Police Department responded to a welfare concern report in the 2700 Block of Earl Street in Mansura, Louisiana on December 22 at approximately 7:20 p.m. A short time later, Hessmer Police Chief Kenneth Smith contacted the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO) Criminal Investigations Unit and requested that APSO serve as the lead investigative agency in an apparent homicide investigation. Detectives from the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to the site.

The preliminary inquiry revealed that Lisa Roy Mose, 56, of 2707 Earl Street was discovered lifeless and was likely the victim of a homicide.

Detectives from the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Avoyelles Parish Coroner’s Office discovered that the victim appeared to have died of several stab wounds. The inquiry found that the murder suspect is the 27-year-old son of the victim, Daniel Jake McWilliams. The vehicle used by McWilliams to flee the scene also contained murder-related evidence. McWilliams was arrested on a warrant issued by the 12th Judicial District Court for the crime of Second-Degree Murder. No bond has yet been established. The probe is still active.

Anyone with information on this homicide is urged to contact the Avoyelles Parish 911 Communication Center or the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office at (318) 253-4000.

Sheriff David L. Dauzat would also like to thank the Hessmer Police Department, the Marksville Police Department, the Tunica-Biloxi Police Department, the Moreauville Police Department, and the Cottonport Police Department for their cooperation in securing the site and investigation.

An arrest is an indication that probable cause exists to believe the subject was involved in the offense alleged. A person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.