2 accused of injecting Colfax man with drugs, leading to his death, booked in Rapides jail

Two of the three people arrested in the death of a Colfax man have been booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center #1, according to online jail records.

Jessica Marie Bledsoe, 29, and Michael Shane Taylor, 38, both were booked into jail on April 16 on charges of second-degree murder. Bail was set for both at $200,000.

Both have filed motions with the 9th Judicial District Court to have attorneys appointed for them, but no court dates have been set.

The Grant Parish Sheriff's Office had issued a public plea for help finding James Morrow Ingram, 68, and his silver Honda Accord after his employer reported him missing on April 1 when he didn't show up for work.

On April 6, the office made a post on its Facebook page that said Ingram's body had been found, and three people had been arrested. Information about his death wasn't disclosed until a news conference held in Colfax on April 10.

At that time, Sheriff Steven McCain said detectives had been able to confirm Ingram had put gas into his Accord in Colfax late on Easter, March 31, and then had driven to Alexandria.

McCain said Ingram had met with Taylor and Bledsoe and that the pair "injected drugs into" him while inside his car in an Alexandria parking lot. But Ingram lost consciousness, McCain said, and he later was injected again.

"At that point, he stopped breathing, and they realized that he passed away," he said.

The two drove Ingram's car around with his body still inside before driving into Grant Parish and dumping his body in the Kisatchie National Forest on April 1.

The next day, April 2, Bledsoe returned to the scene with Levy Edmond Bordelon, 46, to burn Ingram's body, said the sheriff.

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That evening, the sheriff's office got a Facebook tip and a photo from someone who spotted Ingram's car in the parking lot of Texas Roadhouse on MacArthur Drive in Alexandria. The Alexandria Police Department responded to the scene, as did Grant detectives.

Taylor and Bledsoe were identified on April 3 when Taylor allegedly went on a "shopping spree" with one of Ingram's credit cards, said McCain.

Warrants from both departments were issued for Taylor and Bledsoe, while Grant included warrants for Bordelon.

All three were booked first in Grant Parish. Both Taylor and Bledsoe face charges of obstruction of justice and unlawful disposal of remains. Bledsoe also faces a charge of being a principal to arson.

Bordelon faces charges of arson and obstruction of justice in Grant Parish. He does not face any charges in Rapides Parish.

McCain said on Thursday that there had been no new developments in the case.