In the summer of 1998, the body of 38-year-old Larry Ranson, a male resident of Luling, was discovered along Louisiana Highway 3160 near Hahnville on the morning of July 31st. Initially, investigators were perplexed as there were no visible signs of trauma on Ranson's body, leading his death to be classified as undetermined pending an autopsy. The evening before his body was found, Ranson had been seen at a convenience store in Hahnville.
His case was unsettlingly similar to the discovery of another man, David L. Mitchell Jr., a year prior in the same vicinity, raising suspicions among law enforcement.
The mystery surrounding Larry Ranson's death would remain for years until a sinister truth came to light. His demise was not an isolated incident but part of a string of horrific crimes committed by one of Louisiana's most prolific serial killers. Ranson was a victim of Ronald Dominique, who would later be dubbed 'The Bayou Strangler.' Dominique, who preyed on men across several parishes, confessed to the murders of at least 23 individuals between 1997 and 2006.
It was revealed that Larry Ranson was Dominique's second victim. The killer's method often involved luring his victims with promises of money for sex before he would overpower, sometimes bind, and ultimately strangle them. In Ranson's case, it was noted that he was the first of Dominique's victims to be subjected to bondage. Dominique's reign of terror ended with his arrest on December 1, 2006. He was subsequently tried and, on September 23, 2008, received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for his heinous crimes.
