SCOTT COUNTY, MS - According to authorities, a man who was at large for nearly a week after allegedly raping and killing a 73-year-old woman before setting her body on fire in Forest, has been captured.
The suspect, identified as Sammy Patrick, is accused of rape and murder for a crime that took place on December 30, 2023 around 2:00 p.m. on Old Jackson Road in Forest. Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Deputy Commander Carlos Cosby said that U.S. Marshals were informed that Patrick was riding in a stolen vehicle out of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on Friday, January 5th.
Cosby said that one agent and a state trooper spotted the vehicle. The trooper pulled Patrick over at the QuikTrip convenience store in Byram just before 11:00 a.m. Patrick allegedly broke into a Scout County home before fatally shooting and lighting 73-year-old Dee Eady on fire.
The elderly woman's family reportedly found their loved one's body inside the home after they got a cellphone alert from the victim's security system. As of this writing, law enforcement is still investigating the possible motive for this heinous crime.
Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee said in a statement, "There was no direct connection that we know of. Ms. Eady was a widow and lived there by herself. [Patrick's] home is not far from where she lived. There may have been, if any, some interaction, but there would not be a direct link, such as him working for her or knowing her in a personal situation."
Several local, state, and federal agencies assisted the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in the investigation that led to Patrick's arrest.
According to reports, Eady's house was surrounded by crime scene tape and pieces of burned newspaper drifted through the yard well after the horrific incident. Lee said, "It's not something that we see here in Scout County a lot, but in the last two months, we've had two capital murders."
He added, "We went from no murders in 2023 to having these two brutal murders in the last two months." Initially, authorities reported that Eady was sexually assaulted by Patrick as well, but Lee said they are waiting on the autopsy report before confirming that as fact.
Before capturing Patrick, he allegedly robbed a Subway in Woodville. He was said to have been polite when ordering his food, even saying, "yes, ma'am or 'no, ma'am." Then, he allegedly went from 0 to 100 and pulled a gun on the employee. Lee said in a statement, "We definitely want people to be vigilant. We don't know what direction he's heading. Just because we say Louisiana does not mean that he does not come back towards this area or stay in and around those parts of Mississippi."
Lee said officers were searching for Patrick prior to the killing for multiple vehicle thefts, the most recent of which took place just two days before Eady was killed. The person whose car Patrick allegedly stole also has the same last name as the victim of the killing.
Lee said, "I'm not sure of the relationship. I'm sure that there is probably some kinship to her husband, but again, I'm not sure of that. I don't think that that is any link to the crime whatsoever. I think that is, unfortunately, dumb luck."
The suspect, identified as Sammy Patrick, is accused of rape and murder for a crime that took place on December 30, 2023 around 2:00 p.m. on Old Jackson Road in Forest. Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Deputy Commander Carlos Cosby said that U.S. Marshals were informed that Patrick was riding in a stolen vehicle out of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on Friday, January 5th.
Cosby said that one agent and a state trooper spotted the vehicle. The trooper pulled Patrick over at the QuikTrip convenience store in Byram just before 11:00 a.m. Patrick allegedly broke into a Scout County home before fatally shooting and lighting 73-year-old Dee Eady on fire.
The elderly woman's family reportedly found their loved one's body inside the home after they got a cellphone alert from the victim's security system. As of this writing, law enforcement is still investigating the possible motive for this heinous crime.
Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee said in a statement, "There was no direct connection that we know of. Ms. Eady was a widow and lived there by herself. [Patrick's] home is not far from where she lived. There may have been, if any, some interaction, but there would not be a direct link, such as him working for her or knowing her in a personal situation."
Several local, state, and federal agencies assisted the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in the investigation that led to Patrick's arrest.
According to reports, Eady's house was surrounded by crime scene tape and pieces of burned newspaper drifted through the yard well after the horrific incident. Lee said, "It's not something that we see here in Scout County a lot, but in the last two months, we've had two capital murders."
He added, "We went from no murders in 2023 to having these two brutal murders in the last two months." Initially, authorities reported that Eady was sexually assaulted by Patrick as well, but Lee said they are waiting on the autopsy report before confirming that as fact.
Before capturing Patrick, he allegedly robbed a Subway in Woodville. He was said to have been polite when ordering his food, even saying, "yes, ma'am or 'no, ma'am." Then, he allegedly went from 0 to 100 and pulled a gun on the employee. Lee said in a statement, "We definitely want people to be vigilant. We don't know what direction he's heading. Just because we say Louisiana does not mean that he does not come back towards this area or stay in and around those parts of Mississippi."
Lee said officers were searching for Patrick prior to the killing for multiple vehicle thefts, the most recent of which took place just two days before Eady was killed. The person whose car Patrick allegedly stole also has the same last name as the victim of the killing.
Lee said, "I'm not sure of the relationship. I'm sure that there is probably some kinship to her husband, but again, I'm not sure of that. I don't think that that is any link to the crime whatsoever. I think that is, unfortunately, dumb luck."
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