Coushatta cold case still no closer to resolution

COUSHATTA — The two-year anniversary of the confession of a Coushatta native who claims to be one of the nation's most prolific serial killers passed this week without public or media notice.

But it's certainly not far from the mind of the daughter of a Coushatta woman who Robert Browne confessed to killing. Karrie Bateman, who was 10 years old when her mother, Faye Aline Self, 26, was reported missing in March 1983, did not let the anniversary of Browne's confession to Self's death go without re-urging attention to this cold case that's yet to be stamped closed.

Among Bateman's questions are "Why has Browne not directed authorities to any victim's body?" and "How did he manage to kill some of these victims before their disappearance date?"

Browne, son of a sheriff's deputy and brother to a retired state trooper, drew national headlines and stunned Coushatta residents when he confessed July 27, 2006, to 49 homicides throughout the country. His confession was made public as he was indicted in Colorado for the 1987 death of a 15-year-old girl.

But Browne, who is serving two life sentences in Colorado, had been dropping hints to investigators about his alleged crime spree in 2000. In a lengthy court document released in connection with his guilty plea to another Colorado murder, Browne takes responsibility for the deaths in Coushatta of Self, Katherine Jean "Fuzzy" Hayes, 15, in October 1980 and Wanda Faye Hudson, 20, in May 1983.

Hayes' remains were found in Winn Parish six months after her disappearance from a Coushatta chicken restaurant. Hudson's body was found in her apartment — the same complex where Self lived and Browne worked as a handyman.

Self is still considered a missing person because there's been no trace of her since she walked out of The Wagon Wheel. Browne said he killed her in her apartment then dumped her body into Red River.

"Really, there is no evidence that's been shown to me that Robert Browne killed Aline Self," Red River District Attorney Bill Jones said.

Louisiana state Senior Trooper Michael Allen said he could offer no comment on Browne and the status of a probe into his confession. However, Self's disappearance and presumed death is a continuing investigation.

"The case file is open and we're continuing to follow up on leads. The case is nowhere to being closed," Allen said Wednesday.

In an e-mail to The Times, Bateman says Allen told her as late as June that Browne's tape confession was "gibberish." She complains that state police will not allow her to hear the statement because it is an ongoing investigation.

"If this confession is truly false and gibberish "» why not?"

Bateman adds that early police reports and witness statements on Self's disappearance were provided to her in 1994 by a now-deceased Red River sheriff's investigator. "What makes this confession special?"

Bateman said authorities told her another confessed serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, also took esponsibility for killing Self. But Bateman said she researched the some 300 names he gave and did not find her mother's among them.

Bateman believes her mother's disappearance is tied to someone who last saw her at The Wagon Wheel, which in the 1980s was a popular bar. A witness interviewed years ago is alleged to have provided information about an "unknown white male" seen with Self.

"Allen has stated several times that my mom's case is solvable," Bateman said. "I would really like to know how and, if so, why has it taken 25 years to get just this far?"

My prayers go out to the Self kids. This has to be a nightmare not knowing what happened to your mother. I pray that you get some closer to this so that you at least know what happened to her.

Yes, I was in hopes when Browne confessed to these crimes it was going to be an end to the wonder and pain for these families?
What happened? why is he not charged with these deaths?
Two of these people he admitted he killed were my frineds. And they deserve to have their killers found, punished and these families need closier.
These people deserved more. They were taken from us by a mad man. He needs to be punished.

I can't understand why he hasn't been charged!!! He has omitted that he killed them so why not go ahead and charge him so that these families can have closer. What happened when they went and visited Browne and questioned him about what happened????

There is a book on brown, "The Devil's Right Hand Man", that answers a lot of the questions about why they haven't pinned anything on him. It seems to be sneaky RRParish politics at work still-but police in other areas are reluctant to let him take credit for some of their crimes as well.

So when did he die? And how did he die?

Where can you get the book???

He didn't die- The two-year anniversary of his confession passed. You can get the book at local bookstores or you can also get a copy from amazon.com .