Stephanie Nicole South, a 31-year-old mother from Millbrook, Alabama, is remembered by her family for the love she shared and the memories she created. She was a daughter to William Arkuszeski and Tania Rogers and a sister to David, Destinee, and Brandon Arkuszeski, and Elizabeth and Zachary Rogers. Stephanie was a mother to her children, Skyler South and Eric Tomasson. Tragically, she had been predeceased by another son, Christopher South.
Her life was part of a larger family that included grandparents, an aunt, cousins, and several nieces and nephews who felt her loss deeply.
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Stephanie’s life was cut short in New Orleans, Louisiana. At approximately 2:38 a.m., officers from the New Orleans Police Department responded to a call about a shooting in New Orleans East. They arrived at the intersection of Old Gentilly Road and Wilson Avenue, an area characterized by industrial businesses and transport depots. There, officers discovered Stephanie suffering from a single, fatal gunshot wound to her thigh. According to police reports, she bled out from the injury. Emergency medical services were unable to save her, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office later formally identified her.
The investigation into Stephanie's death was handled by the New Orleans Police Department's Homicide Section. Detectives began gathering evidence and seeking information from the public to piece together the events that led to the shooting in the pre-dawn darkness. Their work over the next nine days pointed them toward a suspect. The NOPD's Violent Offender Warrant Squad, working in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service, identified a person of interest in connection with the killing.
On October 15, 2026, authorities located and apprehended Raymond Scott, then 34 years old. The arrest took place in the 9100 block of Old Gentilly Road, not far from where Stephanie had been found. Scott was taken into custody and subsequently booked into the Orleans Justice Center. The New Orleans Police Department announced that he was facing a charge of second-degree murder for his alleged role in Stephanie South's death.
At a press conference following the arrest, the NOPD highlighted the quick work of its detectives and thanked its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for their assistance in the case. The arrest was one of four made in separate homicide investigations within a 24-hour period. "This can be a message to those that are out here considering taking violent acts against people," an NOPD lieutenant said at the conference. "We're going to catch you. We're going to pursue you, and justice will be served."
While an arrest has been made, the case against Raymond Scott entered the court system. As of the announcement of his arrest in October 2026, he was presumed innocent until proven guilty. The family of Stephanie South was left to mourn a life ended too soon, remembering a daughter, sister, and mother who was taken from them by an act of violence. Anyone with additional information that could assist in the investigation is urged to contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300 or to report information anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans.
