LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The Acadiana community is still dedicated to finding a missing Scott woman after authorities arrested a person of interest in the case.
Authorities arrested Brandon Francisco in Missouri Friday afternoon. It’s believed Francisco was the last person who came into contact with 32-year-old Ella Goodie before her disappearance on March 9. Francisco had a warrant out of Rapides Parish for failing to appear in court the day that Goodie was last seen.
People close to Ella Goodie say though this person of interest has been found, she is still missing, and his arrest is only motivating the community even more to find her. “Can you share this with people please? We’re trying to find Ella. She’s been missing since March the 9th,” one woman volunteering in the search said to passing cars as she handed out flyers. “Hello, help find miss Ella,” another told drivers.
Volunteers spent hours Friday afternoon handing out flyers to the community, making sure people know that Ella is still missing.
“Sometimes it takes a village, and sometimes a community to protect each other. While I may not know her personally, she could be our daughter. She could be our sister. She could be our mother,” Bishop John W. Milton with the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation said. They are just one of many organizations in Acadiana helping in the search.
“Since the information has surfaced about her disappearance and the suspicious circumstances of her disappearance, we believe that all of us, the whole community should be alert and aware and conscious because no one knows who might have information,” Bishop Milton added.
The Village 337, a Lafayette civil rights group, are also doing what they can to bring Ella home. “We are still hopeful that Ella is alive, and that is the number one goal and focus is to make sure that we find her alive and well. Initially our mode was to find him,” President and Director of The Village 337 Devon Norman said.
He says now that the person last seen with Ella has been found and arrested, the FBI, who became involved in the case last week, can learn more about Ella’s last whereabouts. They hope this will give them a better idea of where to search.
“The family is now ready to start search efforts of their own. That is the focus now. We will begin, as more information comes out from the arrest, hopefully we will be able to begin search efforts for Ella in specific locations that we know he traveled. Because we believe that may be an indicator of where we believe she may have traveled as well,” Norman added. The Village 337 will post updates on opportunities to volunteer for searches on their Facebook page.
To volunteer for the search party to help find Ella Goodie, you can also call or text Pamela Thibeaux Jolivette at (337) 703-1137.
Ella’s friends and family members are also calling on organizations, clubs, churches, youth groups, business owners, and trail riders to help. Supplies are also needed.
