Lashann Matthews, 20, a Black woman from Hammond, Louisiana, was found dead in the mobile home she shared with her husband, Eric Dawon Matthews, on May 18, 1998. Relatives who came to check on her discovered her hands and feet bound, a sock forced into her mouth, and neck injuries consistent with choking; early reports described death by asphyxiation. Her husband and the children were initially missing, turning the case into a search that extended beyond the state.

Investigators quickly focused on Eric Matthews as the prime suspect. He was located and arrested on May 20, 1998, in Schiller Park, Illinois, near O’Hare Airport; only one child was with him at that time. A younger child was later found dead in Kenner, Louisiana, inside a gym bag discarded behind a church. Under questioning, Matthews confessed to that child’s killing and to other violent acts committed while he was on the run. Legal proceedings that followed included disputes over his statements and delays, and in 2006 Matthews pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole.

Does anyone have information about Lashann’s life in Hammond or recollections from that May 1998 timeframe that could add context to her story?