Two people have been arrested by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office on charges of attempted second-degree murder after a woman was found with severe brain injuries near a railroad track in Sulphur.
Deputies say that they were called to Brakens Road and Buhler Station Road in Sulphur around 7:30 on Tuesday, September 18 after a woman was found lying near the railroad tracks covered in mud. The person who reported the woman to officers told them he thought she was deceased.
The woman, deputies say, was found to be alive and had sustained a severe head injury. The victim was transported to a local hospital and was found to have multiple fractures to her skull along with brain bleed.
Deputies say the following day detectives investigating the area where the victim was found learned that two people, now identified as 27-year-old Christina M. Russell and 23-year-old Joseph N. Thomas of Sulphur, had been with the victim the night of the incident.
An investigation revealed that the two did not know the victim but picked her while she was walking and brought her to their home. Russell and Thomas allegedly told deputies that while the victim was in their home an argument occurred. They allegedly told deputies that they pushed the woman off their back porch and she left the home on foot.
Deputies say that Russel and Thomas allegedly told them that they then got into a truck and hit the woman as she was walking down the roadway. Christina Russell was allegedly driving at the time. Thomas told deputies he exited the vehicle and struck the woman with a pipe before the two fled the scene.
Deputies say Russell was also found to be in possession of the victim’s cell phone.
On Wednesday, Russell and Thomas were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with attempted 2nd-degree murder. Their bond is set at $500,000 each.
The victim is currently hospitalized and in critical condition. An investigation is ongoing and deputies believe more charges are possible.
