In the spring of 2016, the disappearance of a young man from Monterey, Louisiana, would unravel a somber tale of family, suspicion, and a quest for justice that remains ongoing. Duell Stephen Moreland, a 26-year-old male, was reported missing on March 29, 2016. For a month, his whereabouts were a mystery, leaving his family in anguish. The search came to a grim conclusion on April 29, 2016, when his skeletal remains were discovered by a family friend and relatives near Bayou Cocodrie in
Monterey. The body was identifiable by the rubber boots he was wearing and a steel ankle implant from a previous injury. Investigators determined that Moreland had died from a gunshot wound to the head. Evidence suggested his body, which appeared to have been burned, was wrapped in a tarp, bound at the ankles with rope, and dragged to the location where it was found, possibly after being concealed for about a month.
The investigation into Duell Moreland's death soon focused on a member of his own family. His cousin, 34-year-old Hartwell 'Hart' Layne Tiffee, became a person of interest. Moreland's grandmother even told authorities that Tiffee had admitted to killing his cousin. Tiffee was arrested on April 30, 2016, initially on a charge of possessing an illegal firearm after a sawed-off shotgun was found during a search of his residence. By June of that year, the charge was escalated to second-degree murder in connection with Moreland's death.
Despite the arrest and the family's statements, the legal path forward proved to be complex. Due to a conflict of interest, as Tiffee's father was a Concordia Parish Police Juror, the local district attorney and judges recused themselves from the case. The Louisiana Attorney General's office took over the prosecution. However, in 2017, a grand jury returned a 'No True Bill,' indicating there was insufficient evidence to indict Tiffee for murder, and he was subsequently released. Though the formal charges were dropped, law enforcement has maintained that the investigation into Duell Moreland's death remains an open case. To this day, his family continues to seek answers and justice for his death, a case that was even featured on the television show 'Cold Justice.'
