ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — There’s a lot of money being offered to help solve a homicide case in St. John the Baptist Parish; $17,500 in fact.
Herman and Veronica Bailey have added $15,000 to the existing $2,500 from Crimestoppers to find the person responsible for the death of their son Donovan Bailey. Bailey, 29, was gunned down ten years ago at a now abandoned housing project on E. 13th Street in Reserve.
“I miss Donovan coming in the door and saying, “Hey Bebe,” because that’s what he used to call me, ‘Bebe,’ said Bailey’s mother Veronica Bailey.
Veronica says she can still hear her son’s voice, more than a decade after losing him.
“It’s a rollercoaster for me because I don’t understand why it happened and I was totally shocked that it happened,” Bailey said.
What happened the night of April 17, 2013 has been on the minds of the Baileys ever since, leading to the $17,500 reward for information.
“Just tell what happened. I just want them to tell what happened,” Bailey said.
The Baileys say their son was dropping friends off in the 300 block of E. 13th Street in Reserve when someone started shooting.
“It’s really hard to lose your child,” Bailey said. “It’s really hard.”
The youngest of their three sons, the Baileys say Donovan dreamed of becoming a music producer and was in the process of buying a home. Herman Bailey says he often hears stories about his son.
“All I hear is how good my son was, and I know he was good to a lot of people,” Herman Bailey said.
“Somebody needs to come and get justice for him. He deserves that much, justice, not to just be dead and let’s move on.”
Moving on isn’t easy for the Baileys. They had a close relationship with Donovan. That made Father’s Day over the weekend tough, for them and Donovan’s two kids.
“The hard part is going to that cemetery and wishing him Happy Father’s Day,” said Herman Bailey. “That’s the hard part.”
The Baileys aren’t giving up. They say no matter the amount of the reward, closure for them and justice for their son are priceless.
“It don’t hurt to keep trying. I’m not going to ever quit,” Veronica Bailey said. “As long as I’ve got life in my body I’m not going to ever quit.”
Tips to Crimestoppers did lead to an arrest in 2014 but the suspect was released because of issues with securing a witness. With this new reward, the Baileys hope new tips will follow.
Tips to Crimestoppers are anonymous. The number to call is 504-822-1111.
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