In the quiet expanse of Jefferson Davis Parish, where the hum of Interstate 10 weaves through the Louisiana landscape, a tragedy unfolded that has left a community in mourning and authorities searching for answers. On a fateful Wednesday afternoon, August 27, 2025, shortly after 1:00 p.m., the life of 53-year-old Bonnie Signorelli Fontenot of Jennings was cut short in a devastating hit-and-run crash on the I-10 frontage road, just east of U.S. Highway 165. What began as a desperate search for a missing woman ended in heartbreak, as her body was discovered in the median between the interstate and the frontage road, leaving investigators with a haunting mystery to unravel.

Bonnie Fontenot, a name now etched in the hearts of those who knew her, had been reported missing by the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office just days before. Last seen on the evening of August 22 at the Lost Shoe RV Park in Lacassine, where she lived with her husband, Bonnie’s final known contact was a text message sent just after 8 p.m. that night. Described as a 53-year-old woman with brown hair streaked with gray and warm brown eyes, standing 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds, she was last seen wearing a peach shirt and jeans. Her sudden disappearance sparked concern, with the sheriff’s office issuing a public plea for help in locating her. But no one could have anticipated the tragic discovery that awaited.

Around 12:40 p.m. on August 27, deputies from the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office found a woman’s body in the median near mile marker 44, a desolate stretch between the I-10 frontage road and the interstate. The scene was somber as authorities confirmed the worst: the woman was Bonnie Fontenot. Preliminary investigations by Louisiana State Police Troop D revealed that she had been walking along the frontage road when an unknown vehicle struck her with deadly force. The driver, in a callous act, fled the scene, leaving Bonnie to succumb to her injuries. The Jefferson Davis Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced her dead at the scene, her life extinguished in an instant.

The details of that fateful moment remain shrouded in uncertainty. What was Bonnie doing on the frontage road? Why did the driver flee? And what kind of vehicle could vanish so quickly into the Louisiana afternoon? These questions haunt the investigators of Louisiana State Police Troop D, who have taken the lead in piecing together this heartbreaking puzzle. The vehicle involved remains unidentified—no make, no model, no license plate to trace. The driver, too, is a phantom, leaving behind only grief and a community desperate for justice.

“This is a tragic loss for the victim’s family and our community,” said Trooper First Class Peggy Bourque, Public Affairs Officer for Louisiana State Police. Her voice carried the weight of a case that demands answers. “We need the public’s help to bring closure to this case and hold the responsible driver accountable.” The plea for information has gone out far and wide, with authorities urging anyone with even the smallest detail to come forward. A phone call to Louisiana State Police Troop D at (337) 491-2511 could unlock the case. For those who prefer anonymity, tips can be submitted through the LSP Online Reporting System or by calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.

As the investigation presses on, the loss of Bonnie Fontenot reverberates through Jennings and beyond. A woman who was loved, missed, and searched for is now gone, her story abruptly ended on a lonely stretch of road. The Louisiana State Police are relentless in their pursuit of the truth, combing through evidence and chasing leads to identify the vehicle and driver responsible. But they cannot do it alone. Somewhere, someone may hold the key—a fleeting glimpse of a car speeding away, a detail overheard, a memory that could crack the case wide open.

In the quiet of Jefferson Davis Parish, where the interstate hums and the frontage road stretches into the horizon, Bonnie Fontenot’s memory lingers. Her life, her story, and her untimely death call out for justice. The community waits, hopes, and prays that someone will step forward to help solve this tragic mystery, bringing peace to a family and accountability to the one who fled.