A Louisiana man who was previously accused of repeatedly stabbing a woman and holding her captive in a motel room is now wanted by authorities after four people were found fatally stabbed and a child was critically injured.
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet said detectives have identified Kaegan Jude Solet, 47, of Houma, as a person of interest in what appears to be a series of stabbings in Houma’s Ashland Drive area.
Deputies were first dispatched to the 200 block of Ashland Drive, where they found the injured child, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office has named Kaegan Jude Solet as a person of interest and is urging anyone with information about his location to contact detectives. (Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office)
The child was airlifted to a hospital outside the area and was listed in critical but stable condition after sustaining what Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office Lt. Blake Tabor described to News Media as “extremely significant” injuries.
“That’s not something that you want to see ever,” Tabor said.
After responding to reports of a critically injured child, deputies found four people dead inside homes near Ashland Drive, authorities said. (Google Maps)
While searching the surrounding neighborhood, deputies made the devastating discovery of victims inside nearby residences.
The sheriff’s office said at least four people were found dead. Authorities have not identified the victims or said whether they were related to one another, the wounded child or Solet.
Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the violence or whether the victims were attacked in more than one home.
Solet has not been arrested or charged in connection with the latest deaths. The sheriff’s office stressed that identifying him as a person of interest does not mean he has been accused of a crime.
Authorities believe Solet is likely still in the area but said they are not ruling out other possibilities.
“We’re using every investigative tool that we have,” Tabor said. “Our hope is that we plan to get him in custody very quickly.”
Tabor said investigators do not currently have information indicating Solet intends to leave the state or “go on the run,” but added that authorities are “exploring all options.”
Solet had not been located as of the latest update.
Authorities are searching for Kaegan Jude Solet, 47, after identifying him as a person of interest in a series of deadly stabbing incidents. (Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office)
The latest investigation is not the first time Solet’s name has surfaced in connection with violent crime allegations.
Solet was arrested in December 2019 after allegedly stabbing a woman repeatedly and leaving her locked inside a Houma motel room, according to a police news release from the time.
Houma police responded to the Red Carpet Inn shortly after midnight on Christmas Eve 2019 and found a 59-year-old woman lying on the floor of her room with numerous stab wounds.
ALSO READ: Alachua Man Arrested After Allegedly Striking Neighbor With Baseball Bat
The Red Carpet Inn in Houma, Louisiana, where Kaegan Solet allegedly stabbed a woman in 2019. (Google Maps)
The woman was taken by ambulance to a medical facility with injuries considered life-threatening, police said.
Witnesses told investigators they heard someone yelling for help from inside the room. When they entered, they found the woman on the floor and unable to move.
Investigators identified Solet, then 40, as the suspect and said he had been invited into the woman’s room before the two became involved in an argument.
Police alleged the confrontation turned physical and Solet repeatedly stabbed the woman in her head and upper body. He then allegedly fled and locked the motel room door behind him, leaving the critically wounded woman inside.
Kaegan Jude Solet had not been arrested or charged in connection with the latest deaths as authorities continued searching for him. (Houma Police Department)
Officers located Solet approximately 18 hours later and took him into custody without incident.
He was transported to the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex and booked on one count of attempted second-degree murder, according to Houma police.
Terrebonne Parish detectives had also obtained a warrant for Solet’s arrest on a charge of second-degree murder in January 2019, according to a separate sheriff’s office news release.
The warrant was obtained during the investigation into the Jan. 9, 2019 killing of Kemple Paul Scott Lovell. Then-Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said detectives were searching for Solet, who had last been seen in the Houma area.
The final dispositions of both 2019 cases were not immediately available.
Asked why Solet was no longer in custody, Tabor said authorities were also searching for answers.
“I can’t tell you. Certainly, that’s the hot question, right? Why is he out?” Tabor said. “We’re probably just as stunned as everyone else is.”
Tabor emphasized that the sheriff’s office has a strong working relationship with the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office but said questions remain about how Solet’s previous cases were handled.
“How this slipped through, I certainly don’t know, but it’s a question that probably needs to be answered,” Tabor said.
News Media reached out to the district attorney’s office seeking the circumstances surrounding Solet’s release and whether he remained under any court-ordered supervision, but did not immediately receive a response.
Detectives are continuing to gather evidence and develop information surrounding the latest deadly incidents as the search for Solet continues.
The sheriff’s office urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives at 985-876-2500.
The investigation remains active and in its preliminary stages. Authorities said additional details will be released as they become available.