HBO docuseries explores 1985 Louisiana pet cemetery murder

HBO has released a three-part true-crime docuseries, ‘The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story’, directed by Philip Cairney. The series investigates the 1985 murder of Dorothy Lou Thompson, who owned a pet cemetery in Toca, Louisiana, within St. Bernard Parish.

Thompson’s body was discovered in the Mississippi River, strangled and bound in chains, two weeks after her disappearance. The case remained cold until 2004 when it was reopened following a witness statement. In 2014, groundskeeper Brandon Nodier pleaded guilty to manslaughter as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Investigations revealed that the killing occurred after Nodier allegedly deceived Thompson into transferring property ownership to him.

The documentary also explores the historical trauma associated with the land, noting that the site was the location of the 1868 St. Bernard Parish Massacre. Cairney describes the property as a site of recurring tragedy, encompassing layers of racial violence and personal dysfunction.