On the afternoon of Thursday, December 18, 2025, authorities in New Orleans, Louisiana, made a grim discovery in the Fairgrounds neighborhood. Responding to the 3000 block of Belfort Avenue around 1:40 p.m., police found the body of 47-year-old Kenyatta Packnett inside a white SUV. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, which led to his death. Although his body was discovered on Thursday, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office later determined that he had passed away two days prior, on
December 16, 2025.
Packnett, a male resident remembered by his community as a "7th Ward legend," left behind a grieving family, including his mother, Corliss Marie Jones, and several children and grandchildren. Born in September 1978, his life was celebrated for his devotion to his relatives and his enduring strength. Following the tragedy, loved ones organized a celebration of his life to be held at the City of Love church on Palmetto Street, honoring the impact he made on those who knew him.
The investigation into the homicide moved quickly, with detectives linking the violence to another incident in the area. Police identified Lance Daniel Dodd as the suspect in Packnett's murder. Investigators determined that Dodd was also connected to a separate, non-fatal shooting that occurred just hours before Packnett's body was found. In that earlier incident, a delivery driver was shot while dropping off packages in the 3200 block of Trafalgar Street. Law enforcement officers arrested Dodd and booked him on charges including second-degree murder, aggravated battery by shooting, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
