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Sunday, February 22, 2009

Death of Dominick Arceneaux ruled accidental drowning

Funeral notice:
Dominick Wesley Arceneaux arrived in heaven on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me." He was 3‰ years old and a resident of Arkansas for two months, but was from Gonzales from birth. Survived by his father, Andre Jonathon Arceneaux; mother, Amber Cortez Arceneaux; half sister, Arlina J. Arceneaux; maternal grandparents, Jose and Martha Cortez; paternal great-grandfather, Robert L. Arceneaux Sr.; great-aunt, Relia Casebolt; uncle, Kaleb Boudreaux; godmother, Kathy Babin; aunts and uncles, Mike and Carmen Ryland, Hank and Kim Whittington, Keith Arceneaux, Robert Arceneaux Jr., Danny Arceneaux, Anthony and Melissa Johnson, Jennifer and Steven Johnson, Autumn and Jarrod Lebouef, Jesse Cortez, and Jose M. Cortez; cousins, Ethan Cortez, Laithen and Lawson Johnson, Derrick and Darriun Lebouef, Jarrod P. Lebouef, Daniel Arceneaux, Roarke Dunn, Rhonda Lambert, Braylin and Blain Lambert, Shea and Brad Wing, Adrian Buratt, Zachary Whittington, John Noel, J'lyn James, Paul and Sarah Ryland, Penny and Brent Roberts, and numerous other relatives. Preceded in death by great-grandmother, Marjorie Arceneaux; grandmother, Leslie Arceneaux; uncle, Scotty Waites; and great-grandmother, Laura Akin. Visitation at Victory Baptist Church, Ark. 278, Camden, Ark., on Monday, Feb. 23, was from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitation at the church on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until religious service at noon. Burial in the church cemetery.
Obviously Dominick was loved by many. Deepest sympathy from katfish!


2theadvocate

CHIDESTER (AP) — A 3- year-old boy who was found dead after an eight-day search in Ouachita County died by accidental drowning. Authorities said Friday that autopsy results indicate there was no foul play in the death of Dominick Arceneaux.

The boy was playing in his yard in Chidester on Feb. 10 when he vanished. The property abuts White Oak Lake, but Dominick’s mother, Amber Arceneaux, said her son was afraid of water. A massive search effort included the lake, nearby woods and anyplace else in the area that Dominick may have been able to reach. The boy was bare foot when he disappeared.

A volunteer firefighter found Dominick’s body on Wednesday. He was in the lake, about 10 feet from the shore. The search involved numerous agencies, including the Arkansas State Police and the FBI. Agents visited registered sex offenders in the region and questioned them about the boy’s disappearance. Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood said law officers stopped motorists at roadblocks near the Arceneaux home in hope that drivers may have seen some thing the day Dominick disappeared. Amber Arceneaux said her son was outside for about five minutes, then she noticed he was gone.

Law officers expressed frustration throughout the ordeal, saying they had no clue what happened to the boy. Officials had to rule in all possibilities. Sheree Mitchell, a great aunt of Dominick’s, said the boy’s mother has not accepted that the death was an accident. "We still don’t believe he went into that lake," Mitchell said Friday from the Hog Wild Saloon, which is on the family’s lakeside property. "We still don’t believe that."

Norwood said no strangers were reported in the area on the day Dominick disappeared. Also, none of the dogs on the property barked during that time. Mitchell and Amber Arceneaux were home at the time Dominick vanished, but neither saw or heard anything out of the ordinary, Norwood said. Mitchell said the outcome offered little solace. "They did tell us it was very fast," Mitchell said of the boy’s death.

Now that Dominicks autopsy is complete there should be funeral arrangements forthcoming. I will post them as an update to this entry as soon as I hear anything.
As hard as it must be for his family to know this is a tragic accident, I'm sure they are or will someday be relieved that Dominick didn't suffer at the hands of a stranger or worse yet someone they knew. God, please help this family deal with the sorrow of this tragedy.

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1 comment:

  1. 2018 and we still don’t and never will believe Dominick “fell” into that lake! #Justice for Dominick!! We won’t stop until we know! Love always Aunt Jennifer!

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