In the quiet community of Blanchard, Louisiana, a grim discovery marked the end of a frantic search and the beginning of a painful chapter for a local family. Kathleen Hawkins McKnight, a 62-year-old female, and her husband, Roderick Keith McKnight, age 64, were found deceased in their home on Attaway Hill Lane on April 18, 2024. The couple's lives were cut short in what investigators quickly determined to be a double homicide.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office immediately launched an
investigation, and a person of interest was soon identified: the couple's 26-year-old son, Michael McKnight. With the primary suspect named, a manhunt ensued. The search for Michael intensified after he was spotted on a resident's security camera, prompting a significant law enforcement response.
The extensive search involved Caddo patrol deputies, the U.S. Marshal's Task Force, K9 units, and the David Wade Correction Chase Team. A perimeter was established near Walter B. Jacob Park, where authorities believed Michael was hiding. The search concluded when he was discovered in a primitive shelter concealed beneath a fallen tree within the park. A Caddo Sheriff's K9 officer successfully apprehended him at the scene.
Following his capture, Michael McKnight was taken to the Caddo Correction Center for questioning by sheriff's detectives. Based on the investigation, he was formally charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, Kathleen and Roderick McKnight. He awaits legal proceedings in Caddo Parish.
