Account
Dec 22, 2009
Aug 14, 2023
Averie
Evans
45
11
60 inches
101 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the small Louisiana city of Natchitoches, a community known for its charm and as the backdrop for the film "Steel Magnolias," the sense of safety was shattered in the fall of 1990. On November 5th, an 11-year-old girl named Averie Grace Evans set out on her bicycle, a white, pink, and purple Murray, with a determined and sweet purpose. A straight-A student and a talented violinist, Averie was diligently selling candy bars door-to-door to raise money for a school fundraiser. She was a familiar and welcome sight in her neighborhood, described by her family as a ray of sunshine. That afternoon, after visiting a friend, she continued on her mission, last seen in the area of Fifth and Stephens Streets. She was wearing a black sweater, a blue denim vest, and black jeans. As evening fell and she did not return home, her worried parents contacted the authorities, sparking a desperate search by family, friends, and local volunteers who scoured the area for any trace of the young girl or her bicycle, but found nothing. The investigation into Averie's disappearance soon focused on a neighbor, Phillip Louis DeSelle. Averie had reportedly sold candy to him on a few occasions in the month leading up to her disappearance. While he was considered a person of interest early on, there was little evidence connecting him to the case until two months later, in January 1991. Authorities received an anonymous letter, postmarked from a nearby town, in which the author confessed to strangling Averie. The letter stated that he had disposed of her body in a trash bin and had thrown her bicycle into Sibley Lake. Investigators followed this grim lead and successfully recovered Averie's bicycle from the location described in the letter. An extensive and heart-wrenching search of the local landfill, where the contents of the dumpster would have been taken, yielded no trace of Averie's remains. The anonymous letter was eventually traced back to Phillip DeSelle. Upon being identified as the author, DeSelle attempted to take his own life but survived and was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. He later provided a written confession, admitting he lured Averie into his home under the pretense of buying candy, where he then struck and strangled her. In a plea agreement with the district attorney's office, DeSelle pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter and aggravated kidnapping. Prosecutors reportedly agreed to the plea bargain out of concern that, without Averie's body, they might not secure a conviction for premeditated murder. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison but was released in January 2015 due to Louisiana's "good time" laws in effect at the time of his sentencing, having served 24 years. He will remain on parole and is registered as a sex offender. The case of Averie Evans is a heartbreaking story of a bright and beloved child whose life was stolen from her community. Despite a confession and the conviction of the man responsible, the search for Averie has never ended for her family, as her remains have never been found.
Nov 05, 1990
Natchitoches
Louisiana
Natchitoches Parish
No
26135
Natchitoches Police Department
Natchitoches
Louisiana
Natchitoches Parish
71457
400 Amulet Street, Louisiana
3183528101
Local
Law Enforcement
4097
1990-11-05
Natchitoches Police Department
7684
Brown
Brown
Brown
06/01/2026
