LCSD investigating Meehan murder suicide
Feb. 19—Lauderdale County Sheriff's deputies are investigating after suspicious activity in Meehan Monday evening left two people dead in an apparent murder suicide.
Sheriff Ward Calhoun said a Meehan resident called 911 around 5 p.m. to report they had witnessed one person assaulting another and then putting the victim in the bed of a truck. The resident was able to follow the truck, identified as a black pickup, east onto Interstate 20, he said, and provide up-to-date information as deputies worked to arrive on scene.
The truck exited the interstate and began heading north on 65th Avenue where a Meridian Police officer conducted a traffic stop, Calhoun said. The officer ordered the driver out of the vehicle but received no response.
Once other officers arrived, they were able to approach the vehicle where they found the driver dead of what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Calhoun said. The body of a woman was also discovered under a truck cover in the bed of the truck, he said.
Calhoun on Wednesday said investigators have identified the bodies of 51-year-old Edgar Wayne Richardson Jr. and Dianna Marie Raymond, 27, both of Plain Dealing, Louisiana. Investigators believe Richardson shot and killed Raymond before placing her body into the vehicle and driving into Meridian before ultimately killing himself.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office at 601-482-9806 or East Mississippi Crime Stoppers at 855-485-8477.
Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com
