Dorothy Lou Thompson Murder Details and Investigation Timeline

In May 1985, fishermen on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, found human remains. They belonged to a woman who had been weighed down by chains. The remains were identified as those of Dorothy Lou Thompson, a pet cemetery owner who had mysteriously disappeared from her home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. HBO Max’s ‘The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story’ details the timeline of the case and the strange events that surrounded it until it was finally resolved.

Dorothy Lou Thompson Was Last Seen at the Pet Cemetery She Inherited From Her Mother

Dorothy Lou Wynne was born in Oklahoma in 1924. Her mother, Grace Agnes Thompson Wynne, was married to Jack Thompson but reportedly had an affair with a man named Arthur Wynne, after which Dorothy was born. However, the little girl reportedly called Thompson “Daddy Jack” and later took his last name as well. According to news reports, in September 1934, Grace allegedly shot Thompson’s wife, Mary Thompson. She was declared legally insane and sent to an asylum. In December 1935, Grace escaped the institution and fled to New Orleans with her daughter and mother. After a lengthy legal process, all charges against Grace were dismissed in April 1947.

In July 1946, Dorothy moved with her mother to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Grace established a cemetery in the village of Toca, called the E.E. Matt Plantation Garden in Toca Village, also known as the Azalea Original Pet Cemetery. Dorothy also married Logan Banks. It appears that the couple lived on the cemetery property with her family. On November 26, 1970, Dorothy shot Logan in the backyard of the property, reportedly in self-defense. Around the same time, she inherited the cemetery from her mother and ran it with a great deal of hard work. Dorothy found love again with Donald Robinson, whom she married in December 1976. However, barely two years later, in July 1978, Donald was found shot in the chest at the cemetery.

Dorothy moved on with her life and spent most of her time at the cemetery. She was last seen at her home on April 13, 1985. There was very little evidence to follow, and it did not appear that she had left on her own. On May 2, 1985, her remains were found on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish. A plastic garbage bag had been tied around her neck with metal wire, while chains were attached to her body, leading detectives to suspect they had been used to weigh her down. The cause of her death was determined to be asphyxia.

Dorothy Lou Thompson’s Killer Had Been in a Legal Dispute With Her Prior to the Crime

The investigation into Dorothy Lou Wynne Banks Thompson’s murder eventually revealed a land dispute that had begun years before her disappearance. In 1980, Brandon Nodier, a handyman with a history of arrests and a burglary conviction, arrived at the 14-acre pet cemetery to help with repairs. He stayed on the property and made headstones for the animals buried there. On December 1, 1981, Nodier’s company signed a 99-year lease on the cemetery for $20 a month. Then, on April 20, 1984, Nodier allegedly persuaded Dorothy to sign over the property for $20,000, a check she never cashed. After realizing she had allegedly been swindled, Dorothy filed a lawsuit on November 27, 1984, seeking to undo the transfer. A court hearing was scheduled for approximately 10 days after she disappeared.

Dorothy’s body was discovered in May 1985, but the investigation soon went cold. Police reportedly suspected Nodier early on, yet lacked sufficient physical evidence to arrest him. In 2009, Detective John Doran reopened the case. A witness reportedly came forward claiming Nodier had confessed to the killing and said Dorothy’s ghost allegedly haunted his dreams. However, a significant breakthrough came in 2012, when detectives re-interviewed witnesses, including Nodier’s wife.

On March 15, James Tregler, then held at the St. Tammany Parish jail on a federal gasoline-bomb charge, contacted authorities. He said that Nodier had allegedly threatened him and his wife. He told authorities that he had been present when Dorothy was killed and had witnessed events from outside the home. He was granted immunity. A St. Bernard Parish grand jury subsequently indicted Nodier for second-degree murder. In July 2014, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 10-year prison sentence.

Read More: Allison Feldman Murder Details and Investigation Timeline