Two bodies burned beyond recognition were found behind a business on a typically quiet downtown Covington street early Monday, a grim and shocking discovery in a community that had seen only a single homicide in 2022.
UPDATE: Press conference to discuss burned bodies in Covington delayed, police say
By Monday afternoon, an arrest had been made — a man booked with two counts of first-degree murder and assorted other crimes. Antonio Donde Tyson had been out of prison for three months after serving 30 years for a forcible rape, armed robbery and burglary conviction, authorities said.
But official confirmation of the identities of the bodies was slow coming; the St. Tammany Coroner’s Office said no IDs would come Monday. And through the course of the day, speculation of who the victims were ran through the community.
St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Covington held a prayer vigil Monday night. A priest at the church told WWL-TV that a retired priest at the church, the Rev. Otis Young, and a pastoral associate, Ruth Prats, had been missing since Sunday. But he stopped short of providing an ID or confirming a link to the killings.
A Covington police officer takes a seat before the start of a Nov. 30 vigil for Rev. Otis Young, a retired priest at St. Peter Catholic Church, and Ruth Prats, a pastoral associate, who both went missing a day earlier.
Sgt. Edwin Masters, a Covington police spokesperson, confirmed that a missing persons report for Prats had been filed late Sunday.
While there has been no official identification of the victims, parishioners gathered at the vigil openly mourned their loss.
“I can’t understand how the world can be so evil," said Carolyn Johnson, fighting back tears. "Father Otis was a good man. He didn’t deserve this. No one does.”
Community stunned
The crime stunned Covington residents unaccustomed to the sight of yellow crime-scene tape.
Investigators arrived at Dependable Glass Works in the 500 block of East Gibson Street around 7 a.m., after workers discovered the bodies behind the business.
As the number of investigators at the crime scene thinned, Kathy Pel remained outside the shop where she works, looking on while the crime tape was removed.
"People have been calling me all day, asking if I'm OK," she said. "I can't believe this happened here."
Two nearby Catholic schools, St. Peter Catholic School and all-girls St. Scholastica Academy, dismissed students early. An email to St. Scholastica parents noted the double homicide and assured them their daughters were safe and that class changes had been closely monitored.
Supporters filled St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington on Monday, November 28, 2022 and some stood outside the church for a vigil service for Rev. Otis Young, a retired priest at St. Peter Catholic Church, and Ruth Prats, a pastoral associate, who have been missing since Sunday. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Students driving themselves home at the noon dismissal would be escorted to their vehicles, the email said.
Police presence was heavy outside Prats' house on 19th Avenue, located between the two schools.
Details scarce
Through the day, authorities were tight-lipped about the crime, and few details were released other than the location of the bodies, the fact that the bodies were burned beyond recognition and that two persons of interest were being questioned.
"I was beyond shocked when I heard about the bodies," said Angie Simmons, who lives nearby. You think you live somewhere safe and quiet and then something like this happens," she said.
Covington Mayor Mark Johnson said residents of this small town, like those in other places, often think such lurid crimes won't happen there.
"You like to think Covington is immune to these tragedies, but we're not," he said.
The Coroner's Office planned autopsies for Tuesday, an agency spokesperson said. Covington police plan a 10 a.m. news conference Tuesday to discuss the crime.
'I'm just numb'
Covington police said in a news release Monday afternoon that Antonio Donde Tyson had been booked with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, possession of stolen property and obstruction of justice.
A second person was being interviewed Monday evening, Masters said.
Antonio Tyson
Tyson, 49, was recently released from David Wade Correctional Center in Homer after pleading guilty in 1993 to one count of forcible rape, one count of armed robbery and one count of burglary, according to court records. He was sentenced to 40 years and served 30, records show.
In the three months since his release, Tyson was working regularly with his brother doing landscaping, his sister said.
"I'm just numb," said Leslie Tyson said as she choked back tears. "He was always with his family. He went to church every Sunday. I'm in disbelief."
St. Peter Catholic Church parishioners were among the many faithful who gathered on Nov. 28 for a prayer vigil following a double homicide that claimed the lives of the church's former priest and a decades-long member of the congregation.
Leslie Tyson said her brother has a daughter in her late twenties and three grandchildren.
Earlier Monday, the Rev. Daniel Brouillette, a pastor at St. Peter, had told WWL-TV that Young, who had retired this July after a decade at St. Peter, and Prats had gone missing.
Young suffered a major stroke in 2020, which led to heart surgery, The Clarion Herald reported in June. Young returned to his church flock following his recovery. A former accountant, he was ordained in 2001 at the age of 49.
"We are aware of news reports of an apparent double homicide in downtown Covington. There is speculation about the identity of the victims, but until this is confirmed by the coroners office, we cannot speculate about their identities," the church said in a post on its Facebook page. "Please pray for the victims and their families while we wait for final confirmation."
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the prison where the suspect in the case had served time. It has been corrected.
Staff writer Andrew Canulette contributed to this story.
