On January 20, 2025, the Ville Platte Police Department announced that the remains of Keabreonna “KeKe” Doucet had been found.
KeKe’s case was featured in Dateline’s Missing in America series in June 2024. Dateline spoke with her cousin, Renee Griffith.
Renee told Dateline that on the morning of June 15, 2024, KeKe left her home in Ville Platte to meet up with her daughter, Kemyrie.
Kemyrie, 11, had stayed overnight at a friend’s house and was supposed to meet her mother at the intersection of Magnolia and Swallow Streets in Ville Platte to attend a basketball game.
But when Kemyrie showed up at the location, her mother was nowhere to be found.
Renee told Dateline Kemyrie then tracked her mother using Find My iPhone. KeKe’s location was moving at the time but last pinged near Romeo Hargrave City Park.
On December 11, 2024, 52-year-old Elrick Gallow was charged with second-degree murder. According to a December release from the Ville Platte Police Department, Gallow was initially considered a person of interest, but over the course of the investigation, “with the assistance of the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police, evidence was obtained that led to the application of an arrest warrant.”
Twelve days later, on December 23, the Ville Platte Police Department announced that remains had been found on Wabash Road, off Tate Cove Road in Ville Platte.
In a release posted on January 20, 2025, the Ville Platte Police Department reported that the state crime lab had completed DNA testing on the remains and confirmed they belonged to KeKe Doucet.
The post also firmly reaffirmed authorities’ belief that Elrick Gallow is responsible for KeKe’s death.
No bond has been set for Gallow. According to VPPD, he is to remain in custody until he is tried in court.
According to the Louisiana eClerks website, Gallow has been assigned a public defender.
Dateline reached out to the Evangeline Parish Public Defender’s office but has yet to receive a response.
The post also thanked the Louisiana State Police and “all those who aided in the search for KeKe.”
“This will pave the way for her family to eventually get closure,” the post stated.
Anyone with information about KeKe’s case is asked to call the Ville Platte Police Department at 337-363-1316 and ask for Sergeant Guillory.
