UPDATE (MARCH 19, 2020): Latina Marie Oates was transported to the Jones County jail last night and had her initial appearance in Laurel Municipal Court at 1:00 today. Her bond was denied.
MARCH 18, 2020: Laurel Police Department and District Attorney investigators are on their way to New Orleans today to see the suspect accused of murdering her child in Laurel on Tuesday. That’s according to LPD Chief Tommy Cox during a press conference in Laurel Wednesday morning.
The suspect, 33-year-old Latina Marie Oates, allegedly killed her 11-year-old son at the Hampton Inn in Laurel on Tuesday. Employees of the hotel discovered the body and then alerted authorities. The juvenile victim and his mother are residents of Powell, Ohio. The family checked into the hotel on Saturday and visited several stores and restaurants in the Laurel area. The LPD is currently collecting video evidence from those stores and restaurants.
“The staff at the Hampton Inn have bent over backward to help us,” noted Cox. “I would hate for there to be a stigma associated with the hotel, because we never have any problems over there.”
The chief did not elaborate about the possibility of a struggle in the room before the juvenile’s death, only labeling it “a bad scene.”
After leaving Laurel, Latina Marie Oates traveled to New Orleans in a Toyota Camry, where she was apprehended by members of numerous law enforcement agencies this morning around 9:00 in a residential driveway. The other two children (ages 6 and 9) traveling with Oates are now in protective custody in Louisiana and appear to be in good condition. Chief Cox said family members from Ohio will likely travel to either Mississippi or Louisiana in the next few days to get the surviving children.
“This is still a very fluid situation,” added Cox. “The investigation is still ongoing at this time.”
“The Laurel Police Department would like to thank the following agencies whose assistance has been invaluable in this case – the Jones County District Attorney’s Office and investigator Brad Grunig, MBI, the Hattiesburg FBI Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, the Louisiana State Police, NOPD, EMSERVE, the Jones County Coroner’s Office, the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department,” said the chief. “Also, members of the public who called in tips, including the location of the arrest, are greatly appreciated.”
Oates could be extradited back to Jones County as early as next week to face charges of first degree murder.