2 bodies found in Albany; sheriff confirms female body is that of missing Hammond woman

Updated: Oct. 13, 2020 at 9:39 PM CDT
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ALBANY, La. (WAFB) - Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies say two bodies were recovered from a property along Skinner Lane in Albany on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 2.

One of the bodies is that of a woman who has been missing since September 5, LPSO confirms. The woman has been identified as Deranisha Williams, 21, of Hammond. Livingston deputies say their detectives were notified by deputies with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office about a possible crime early Friday.

Williams had been missing since early September, when she went to a gas station with her boyfriend and never returned.

Family confirms Deranisha Williams was killed by her boyfriend.
Family confirms Deranisha Williams was killed by her boyfriend.(Williams Family)
Deputies with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office say they found the body of a man along...
Deputies with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office say they found the body of a man along Skinner Lane in Albany, La. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.(WAFB)
Deputies with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office say they found the body of a man along...
Deputies with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office say they found the body of a man along Skinner Lane in Albany, La. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.(WAFB)

“They told us they received a call from a distressed male,” said Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. “During this call, the male confesses to a crime. He claims to have murdered an acquaintance. He then details a possible crime scene: his home. His home ends up being located in Livingston Parish (30,000 block of Skinner Lane in Albany). We, along with TPSO, responded to Skinner Lane today. The male was deceased of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

TPSO officials confirm the male, Randolph Skinner Sr., was a wanted person for obstruction of justice in the disappearance of Williams.

“Not never know that I would be living in a movie. That’s how it feels, and I’m still waiting to wake up,” said Danielle Williams, Deranisha’s mother.

“And what hurts so much is that I can never hear her voice again, like I can never talk to her again, I can never nothing again, like nothing with her,” said Danielle. “Monday was Labor Day, and I called him [Skinner] every day, and he gave me a different story. Every day. He just kept saying and when that Thursday came, I told him on the phone, something ain’t right, my daughter better talk to me by now."

Neighbors describe what happened after LPSO found Skinner’s body.

“Well, they took the machine out the truck and they went back there to dig. I don’t know if they found something, but when they came back, here comes the ambulance,” said one neighbor.

Her mother says the couple had a rocky relationship, and Williams had just ended things with Skinner.

“We would’ve found her. To the end of this earth, I was going to search, we were going to find her, even if there wasn’t nothing but bones, we was going to find her,” said Danielle.

Now, this tragedy ends with a mother mourning the loss of her firstborn, and a family is left heartbroken.

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