Rodie Sanchez on Retirement, Eugenie, & Keeping a Promise

Once Detective Rodie Sanchez starts talking, you’ll hope he never stops. If my delightful conversation with him is any indication, he’s happy to oblige. The retired Iberville Parish, LA detective is an old-school, shoe-leather cop who looks like he could strike terror into the hearts of criminals, but face-to-face he comes off as a loveable softie. Sanchez landed a spot in the hearts of true crime fans during his appearance in Discovery’s Killing Fields . He’s kept a low profile since his departure from the show, due in part to his battle with cancer.

“Life is good,” Sanchez says in a distinctive Cajun drawl. “Cancer is in remission, but I have to stay on top of my appointments and go see my doctors. I’m officially retired,” he promises, before rattling off a list of activities that sound a lot like work: Benefit work for police officers; search and rescue work; fielding calls and emails from grieving families trying to find missing loved ones. “I try to help out as much as I can.”

In his “retirement,” Sanchez has also continued looking into the case that haunts him: the 1997 death of LSU student Eugenie Boisfontaine, though he admits he hasn’t made much progress. He talks about Eugenie almost as if he’s talking to himself, his voice softer and more pensive. “If I don’t work Eugenie’s case, nobody will,” he says. “They say never to make a promise in law enforcement, but I promised her mother that I’d find who killed her daughter.”

Eugenie’s mother died recently, convinced that a serial killer had murdered her daughter. “The last time I spoke to her, she didn’t know me,” Sanchez recalls. Though he had remained close with Eugenie’s mother over the years, she suffered from dementia before her death. “I wanted to tell her that the killer she suspected had been ruled out, but her mind was gone. She thought her daughter’s murder had been solved. I let her believe it.”

Will he still try to keep his promise? Sanchez will talk about Eugenie at CrimeCon 2019, he’s wary of divulging too many details. “I’m trying to get her case reopened,” he explains, “so I don’t want to say anything that could jeopardize that investigation.” His voice drops again: “I think about the life she could have had versus the life she did have and it pulls at my heart. She was a lost person. If I don’t care about her, nobody ever will.”

Still, Sanchez insists he’s taking it easy these days. “I’m a fanatic for antique cars. I tinker with cars, go to car shows, take care of my chickens and goats. I’ve been approached by some of my previous producers to discuss some new projects.”

So much for retirement.


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Find out what’s next for Rodie Sanchez during his session at CrimeCon 2019!