The Murder of Brandy Renee Dyson: 20 Years Without Justice in Lake Charles, Louisiana
On November 5th, 2005, in the aftermath of two catastrophic hurricanes, 32-year-old Brandy Renee Dyson was found dead in the water behind the Lake Charles Civic Center in Louisiana. She had been strangled. A man was arrested, indicted, and jailed for her murder. Then the DNA came back — and it wasn’t his. The charges were dropped.
Twenty years later, no one has been held accountable.
In our two-part series, I sat down with Holly Searcy — Brandy’s daughter, who was just 10 years old when her mother was murdered — to tell the story of a woman the world forgot, and the daughter who refuses to let that stand.
Who Was Brandy Dyson?
Brandy Renee Dyson was born in Kinder, Louisiana. She was a mother of three — an older son who was placed for adoption, a daughter named Holly, and a baby boy named Nick. She struggled with addiction and mental health issues, including schizoaffective disorder, for much of her adult life. She spent time in prison. She experienced homelessness. And she loved her children more than anything in the world.
Holly was raised by her paternal grandparents in Odessa, Texas, starting at age two. She didn’t grow up with Brandy, but the connection between them was real. Brandy wrote poems and letters to Holly, recorded tapes of herself reading to her, and made the trip to Texas for Holly’s birthday the Christmas before she was killed.
One of those poems — titled “Daughter of Mine” — is something Holly still carries with her. In it, Brandy writes about the daughter God blessed her with, and how proud she is. Holly read it to us on the show.
Holly also shared a letter Brandy wrote from rehab to Holly’s grandmother Anne, asking for pictures of Holly to use as inspiration to stay sober. In the letter, Brandy writes: she knows she has the willpower. She’s done hard things before. If she can survive everything she’s survived, she can put that same fight toward something positive. She asks Anne to forgive her for the damage she’s caused. She signs it with love.
Holly wants everyone to know that her mother wasn’t a “perfect victim” — and that shouldn’t matter. But as Holly put it, people with substance use disorder are so marginalized that they’re often discounted by society. That doesn’t change what happened to Brandy, and it doesn’t change what she deserved.
The Storms That Changed Everything
In the summer and fall of 2005, two hurricanes devastated southwest Louisiana within 26 days of each other. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29th, killing more than 1,800 people and displacing over 1.2 million Louisiana residents. Hurricane Rita followed on September 24th, making direct landfall near the Lake Charles area as a Category 3 storm.
Cameron Parish — where Brandy’s family lived — was virtually destroyed. More than 90 percent of the buildings were severely damaged or leveled. Floodwaters pushed up the Calcasieu River and swamped downtown Lake Charles under six feet of water. More than a million people lost power. Coffins were ripped from cemeteries by the storm surge. Residents later described a phenomenon they called “Rita Amnesia” — the feeling that the rest of the country had moved on to other things while their communities were still in ruins.
Brandy had actually been in a relatively stable place before the storms. She had gotten sober to give birth to her youngest son, Nick. She had her own apartment. But when friends who’d been displaced by the hurricanes needed somewhere to stay, Brandy took them in. Her landlord found out and evicted her.
She ended up at the Lake Charles Civic Center, which was serving as a Red Cross shelter. She was caught drinking — a violation of the rules — and kicked out. On October 27th, 2005, she was arrested for public intoxication and released. That arrest, which put her back on the streets, would later be the only reason police were able to identify her body. Her fingerprints from that arrest were her only link in the system.
After being kicked out of the shelter, Brandy set up a makeshift camp on a pier near the Civic Center. That pier was 15 to 20 feet from where her body would later be found.
The Night of November 4th, 2005
While living on the pier, Brandy had met a man named Jeremias Ruiz Salazar, a 35-year-old from Levelland, Texas. The two had some kind of relationship, though Holly says it wasn’t serious — Brandy never mentioned him to her family.
On the night of November 4th, Brandy and Salazar went to Crystal’s Nightclub in downtown Lake Charles. At some point, Salazar wanted to leave. Brandy stayed. Witnesses saw her talking to another man at the bar.
Holly’s theory — based on what law enforcement has shared with her — is that Brandy had a sexual encounter with the unknown man after Salazar left. And that when Salazar found out, things turned violent.
Between approximately 2 a.m. — the last time Brandy was seen alive — and 11:55 a.m. on November 5th, she was murdered. Her body was found floating in the lake by a passerby. She was partially clothed. A Halloween mask was found near her body. Her purse was recovered nearby, but her driver’s license was missing. It was later found at the Isle of Capri Casino in Westlake, more than four miles away across a bridge. Brandy was on foot. Someone else moved that ID.
The violence of the attack was staggering. Brandy had been strangled with such force that the bruising on her neck was severe enough that her father later said she had to be buried in a turtleneck sweater. Brandy wore a dog choke-chain as a necklace — her sister Miranda has raised the possibility it may have been grabbed and used against her. Her wrist was also broken.
The Investigation
In 2005, the investigative tools available to law enforcement were a fraction of what exists today. There was no surveillance footage near the Civic Center. Cell phones weren’t widely in use. There was no digital footprint to trace. And law enforcement in southwest Louisiana was stretched past the breaking point after two major hurricanes. The homicide clearance rate in that part of the state was estimated at just seven percent.
Despite all of that, the initial police work was aggressive. Detectives identified Salazar quickly. They confirmed the relationship. They found a FEMA-paid bus ticket with both Brandy’s and Salazar’s names on it — the two had been planning to travel to Tacoma, Washington together. After the murder, Brandy never got on that bus. Salazar did.
Three months later, police tracked Salazar to Tacoma. He was arrested and extradited back to Louisiana. A Calcasieu Parish grand jury indicted him on one count of second-degree murder, and he was held on a million-dollar bond.
But there were problems. One detective had recommended checking Brandy’s neck for fingerprints using a technique he learned at an FBI seminar — letting the body air-dry before testing. He was overruled. The lab never checked for fingerprints. And then the DNA results came back. The DNA recovered from Brandy’s body — from what detectives believed was a consensual sexual encounter — did not match Salazar.
In July 2007, the case went back before the grand jury. This time, they returned a no-bill. The DA explained that going to trial and losing would mean they could never retry Salazar — so dropping the charges preserved the option to come back with new evidence. Salazar was released after approximately a year in jail. He has never been recharged.
Holly makes an important point: if the theory is that Brandy had a consensual encounter with another man at the bar and Salazar killed her out of jealousy, then the DNA mismatch doesn’t exonerate Salazar — it explains the evidence.
Police have told Holly that in their minds, this case is solved. They just don’t have the evidence to prove it.
Holly’s Story
Holly Searcy didn’t just lose her mother to violence. Nine years later, at age 19, she lost her father Daniel the same way. Daniel was killed by someone he knew. Holly’s family had to do their own detective work to find his body after law enforcement didn’t take his disappearance seriously — because of his history with drugs. Someone was convicted and sentenced to 70 years.
After losing both parents, Holly fell into addiction herself. But she got sober — six years now — and became a substance abuse counselor. She married, eloped in New Orleans, and built a life she’s proud of. And then she decided it was time to fight for her mother.
For years, Holly’s Aunt Miranda had been the one pushing law enforcement, doing interviews, and keeping Brandy’s name alive. But after nearly two decades, Miranda was exhausted. Holly picked up the torch. She created the Justice for Brandy Dyson Facebook page, posted her mother’s case on Reddit, Web Sleuths, and Project Cold Case, and started emailing anyone she could find at the Lake Charles Police Department.
She connected with a detective who told her the case was being looked at again. Evidence was retested — including the Halloween mask found near Brandy’s body. Nothing came of it. Holly has come to believe the physical evidence in her mother’s case has been exhausted. If this case is going to be solved, it will be because someone comes forward.
Hurricane Ike and the Casket
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike’s storm surge tore through Cameron Parish — including the family cemetery where Brandy had been buried. Multiple caskets were unearthed. Holly’s great-grandmother’s body was never recovered. Brandy’s body went missing for six months before being found and reburied.
Holly was 14 at the time. She has said it felt like losing her mother all over again — and that she feels like her mom has never been able to rest.
The Jennings 8 Connection
Between 2005 and 2009, eight women were found murdered in Jefferson Davis Parish, just 30 minutes from Lake Charles. Known as the Jeff Davis 8 or the Jennings 8, the victims shared strikingly similar profiles to Brandy: struggles with addiction, poverty, and vulnerability. Most were believed to have been killed by asphyxiation. Several were found in waterways. Allegations of law enforcement corruption have surrounded those cases for years. They remain unsolved.
Holly was told as a child that her mother may have been killed by a serial killer. She has since researched the Jennings 8 herself and isn’t fully convinced there’s a direct connection — but she can’t ignore the similarities in geography, timing, victim profile, and cause of death.
Where the Case Stands Today
The Lake Charles Police Department has revived the case. Evidence has been retested using modern technology, though nothing new has come of it so far. There is no dedicated cold case unit in Lake Charles, and the detective working Brandy’s case is doing so in his spare time.
Holly is exploring hiring a private investigator independently. A digital billboard featuring Brandy’s case information has been donated in Lake Charles by Ultra Outdoor, thanks to a woman named Jane who made it happen at no cost to the family. The Navigating Advocacy podcast mailed flyers about the case to Levelland and Lubbock, Texas — the areas where Salazar was last known to be.
Holly believes this case will be solved by a person — not a lab. Someone who was at Crystal’s Nightclub that night. Someone at the Civic Center. Someone who knew Jeremias Salazar and heard him say something over the last 20 years that didn’t sit right.
How You Can Help
If you have any information about the murder of Brandy Renee Dyson, please contact the Lake Charles Police Department.
You can also support Holly and stay updated on the case:
Justice for Brandy Dyson — Follow on Facebook for case updates, news, and ways to help.
Project Cold Case — projectcoldcase.org — The organization that has supported Holly’s advocacy from the beginning. They offer free advocacy resources and a monthly support group for families of cold case victims.
Web Sleuths — Brandy’s case is listed and open for community discussion.
Solve the Case — solvethecase.org — Brandy’s case listing.
If you knew Jeremias Salazar — especially in the Lubbock, Levelland, or Tacoma areas — and you ever heard him mention Lake Charles, November 2005, or anything that didn’t sit right, please reach out to law enforcement. You might have the one piece that solves this.
Holly also recommends The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker for anyone looking to better protect themselves and trust their intuition. And for families navigating cold cases, she recommends connecting with Project Cold Case and the Children of Murdered Parents Facebook support group.
If this story moved you, share it. Share the episodes. Share this post. That’s how cold cases get solved — by reaching the one person who knows something. Brandy Dyson deserved better. And her daughter Holly is not going to stop until she gets it.
Listen to the full two-part series: “The Lady in the Lake – Brandy Dyson”
Find part 1 on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Find part 2 Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!
If you found this episode interesting, you may also like the case of Lindsay Buziak. Lindsay was brutally attacked while showing a real estate listing. Her case is unsolved. You can read more here or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or wherever you stream podcasts.
You may also like learning more about the case of Brianna Maitland. Brianna was driving home from work, her car found on the side of an abandoned barn, but there was no sign of Brianna, and no clues as to where she went. You can read more on her case here, or listen to the episode on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any streaming platform.
One more case to dive into is the disappearance of Patti Adkins. After leaving work one evening, with plans to go on a trip with her boyfriend, Patti was never seen again. This one feels so solvable, which is infuriating, because Patti has not gotten justice two decades later. Read more about Patti’s story here, or listen on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media, share your thoughts, and let us know what you’d like to hear about in future episodes. If you have any true crime stories of your own, send them our way crimeclueless@gmail.com to be featured on a future episode! And as always, remember: refuse to be clueless, careless, or caught off guard. Not today, murderers.
See you in the next episode of Crime Clueless!
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