Russell James Foote

Russell James Foote was a dedicated husband, a loving father of three young sons, and a respected community leader. At 28 years old, the White / Caucasian man served as the director of the Lafayette, Louisiana, chapter of the American Red Cross. He and his wife, Jacqueline “Jackie” Marie Hanks, were married in August 1965 and were raising their boys in the nearby town of Duson. Russell, the youngest of four brothers, was known for his friendly demeanor and commitment to his work. His future, however, was violently cut short, leaving a void in his family and community that has endured for decades.

On the morning of Friday, May 17, 1974, Russell kissed his wife goodbye and left for the office in his white station wagon. Between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., he was found slumped over in his car on what is now West Congress Street in Lafayette. The engine was still running. He had been shot twice in the head by someone standing just outside the driver's side window, which was partially rolled down. On the seat next to him were Red Cross financial ledgers and bank statements. Russell was rushed to Lafayette General Hospital, where he died shortly after arrival, turning a seemingly ordinary day into a lifelong tragedy for his family. His oldest son, Kevin, was just seven years old; his other sons, Marcus and Jason, were three and nearly two.

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation quickly moved from a potential suicide to a homicide. Detectives soon uncovered an embezzlement scheme at the Red Cross office. Suspicion fell on Gwendolyn Faye Roy Ganey, Russell's former secretary, with whom the organization had parted ways about three weeks before the murder. Investigators learned that Russell had been scrutinizing the chapter's finances for months. Just two days before he was killed, he had met with a bank employee and confirmed his suspicions that Ganey had been forging checks and stealing money, which amounted to at least $6,000. On the very morning of his death, an audit report was due to the Department of Defense.

Investigators identified Ganey as the prime suspect. According to the original detective, Guy Barnett, Russell’s wife, Jackie, immediately named the secretary upon learning of her husband's death. The evidence, however, was considered circumstantial. There were no witnesses to the shooting, and the murder weapon was never recovered. Investigators believed Ganey had intentionally produced the wrong gun when asked to turn over a weapon owned by her husband. She later agreed to a polygraph test, which, according to detectives, indicated deception when she was questioned about the murder. Despite the investigators' strong belief in her guilt, when the case was presented to a grand jury in late 1974, they declined to indict her for murder. Ganey did plead guilty to embezzling from the Red Cross.

For more than 40 years, the case lay dormant, the official file misplaced and absent from the sheriff's office's collection of unsolved murders. For Russell's family, especially his son Kevin Foote, who grew up to become a sports journalist, the lack of answers was a constant source of pain. His mother, Jackie, passed away in 2015, never seeing justice for her husband. In 2017, spurred by Kevin's inquiries, The Daily Advertiser began looking into the cold case, which prompted the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office to officially reopen the investigation.

The renewed investigation involved re-interviewing original suspects and detectives, but it did not lead to an arrest. Over the years, Ganey faced other legal troubles for unrelated offenses in other parts of Louisiana, including theft and illegal discharge of a firearm. Attempts by journalists to contact her in 2018, when the case was publicized again, were unsuccessful.

As of August 2021, the murder of Russell James Foote remains unsolved. The investigation that was reopened in 2017 has not resulted in any charges, and the case remains a painful, open wound for his surviving family. His sons and other relatives continue to hope that someone who knows something about the brazen morning shooting will finally come forward to provide the answers they have sought for over four decades. The case is still an open investigation with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office.