In the quiet town of Haughton, Louisiana, the life of 32-year-old Juanita Jo Jones, a female military veteran with a passion for cooking, was tragically cut short in a violent act that remains a haunting mystery. On the night of November 13, 1989, while working at a Circle K convenience store at the intersection of Bodcau Station Road and Highway 80, an apparent robbery turned fatal. An assailant shot Jones in the head, leaving her to be discovered by a customer.
The cash register was found open and emptied of its contents.
Juanita Jones was a woman with dreams of a future filled with the flavors of her own culinary creations. At the time of her death, she was working two jobs to save enough money to operate her small, home-style restaurant, Down Home Barbeque, on a full-time basis. She had already submitted her resignation to the Circle K, on the verge of realizing her ambition. Her brother remembered her as a mother figure to her younger siblings, a woman who had no children of her own but nurtured those around her.
Following the shooting, Jones was rushed to the Bossier Medical Center, where she fought for her life for five days before succumbing to her injuries. The initial investigation provided several leads, but none resulted in an arrest, leaving the case to grow cold over the years. Law enforcement officials believe the person or persons responsible may still have connections to the Haughton and Shreveport areas and have periodically revisited the case in the hopes that someone with information will come forward.
Decades later, the murder of Juanita Jo Jones remains unsolved. Her family continues to seek closure, and the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office keeps the case file open, awaiting any new evidence that might finally bring her killer or killers to justice. Despite the passage of time, the community and her loved ones hold out hope that the truth behind this senseless act of violence will one day be brought to light.
