Christopher Cater, a Louisiana native, was arrested on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, for killing a 72-year-old woman identified as Sheila Ortega. Cater told authorities that he had killed Ortega reportedly one month ago and kept the body in her SUV which he drove around.
The victim was reported missing on Sunday, August 20, 2023, after her family members said that they had not talked to her for about a month. Authorities found her body the next day, on August 21, inside her SUV that was parked in a mall parking lot.
Christopher Cater further admitted to having used the victim's details to open multiple loans in her name. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso described the case as "unusual" in nature.
“We have seen some strange cases here in Calcasieu Parish, but this case is definitely an unusual one for us,” Mancuso said.Cater was charged with one count each of murder in the second degree, unlawful disposal of human remains, and identity theft.
41-year-old Christopher Cater admitted to killing the elderly woman after police discovered her remains
Police discovered the remains of the missing woman in an SUV that was parked in the parking lot of a Prien Lake Mall on Monday, August 21, 2023. Authorities have already been looking for Sheila Ortega for a day after her family reported her missing on Sunday.
According to Kayla Vincent, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, the remains were found in the passenger's seat of the SUV. Authorities then located Christopher Cater at a nearby business facility. That is when he admitted to killing Ortega about a month ago.
According to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso,
"We have never seen someone drive around with a dead body in the SUV for 30 days."He added,
"My prayers go out to the family and friends of Mrs. Sheila, this is a senseless and inhumane tragedy. The body has been sent off for further testing and to determine the cause of death. The investigation is continuing."Family members and relatives of the victim claimed that they hadn't seen her for quite some time. On August 15, they first requested a welfare check at the victim's house. Mancuso addressed the welfare check and revealed that officers did not find the victim's car in the driveway. No sign of foul play was noticed then.
Authorities did not find anything malicious during the welfare check on August 15
Mancuso continued by saying that according to the family, it was natural for Ortega to not be in touch for a long period of time, and thus, they chose to avoid filing a missing report on August 15. On Sunday, a deputy caught Christopher Cater driving the victim's car. Mancuso said,
"She’s entered into the system that evening. About 8 p.m. a deputy does a traffic stop, meets the guy at the car, and doesn't see anything. (The deputy) asked if he knows her whereabouts, he said 'yes.'"During the traffic stop, Christopher Cater told the officer that he had dropped the victim off in Arkansas, and the officer ultimately let him go. On Monday, authorities spotted the same car in the parking lot and eventually discovered the victim's remains.
Mancuso stated that an internal investigation would be conducted to find out why the officer let him go during the traffic stop in the first place. Christopher Cater is currently being held at the Calcasieu Correctional Center.
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