In the quiet community of Eros, Louisiana, a tragic story unfolded on a Saturday morning in June 2014, forever altering the lives of a family. Amanda Gail Henderson, a 32-year-old female, was at her home on Flat Creek Road, a residence she shared with her boyfriend, James M. Smith, and her three children. The tranquility of their life, where they had resided for about a year, was shattered by the sound of gunshots.
The horrific events were set in motion when Smith, who was 50 years old
at the time, turned a weapon on Henderson, fatally shooting her. In the aftermath of this violent act, Smith then took his own life. The unfolding tragedy was witnessed in the most harrowing way imaginable, as one of Henderson’s own children, present in the house during the incident, made the desperate 911 call to report the gunfire.
When deputies from the Jackson Parish Sheriff's Office arrived at 965 Flat Creek Road, they discovered the grim scene of an apparent murder-suicide. Both Amanda Gail Henderson and James M. Smith were found deceased. The preliminary investigation led by Sheriff Andy Brown suggested that the motive behind the violent outburst could have been influenced by drugs and alcohol.
In the wake of the devastating event, Amanda Henderson’s three children were placed in the care of relatives. The bodies of both Henderson and Smith were sent to Little Rock for autopsies to officially determine the causes of death, although the initial evidence at the scene pointed clearly to the murder-suicide. The investigation by the Jackson Parish Sheriff's Office concluded that James M. Smith was the sole suspect in the death of Amanda Gail Henderson, with no ensuing arrests as the perpetrator had taken his own life.
