The 'Killing Fields' Setting Has A Troubled Past

The true crime genre is thriving — from Serial to The Jinx to Making a Murderer, there's no denying that the public is fascinated by real life murder mysteries. The Discovery Channel's new show, Killing Fields, follows two detectives as they re-open a cold case and chase a variety of leads using resources that weren't available in 1997, when Eugenie Boisfontaine was murdered. Nearly two decades later, her killer remains at large. Before viewers begin sleuthing and theorizing (from our armchairs, of course), let's familiarize ourselves with the setting, because there were a number of murders in the area and they may or may not be related to Boisfontaine's death. So, where does Killing Fields take place? The murder occurred in Iberville Parish, Louisiana and, if you haven't heard of it, you're not alone.

The Discovery Channel's website describes Iberville Parish as a "small community... located just 15 miles from the state capitol, Baton Rouge." Boisfontaine was a graduate student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and her murder wasn't the only one in the area. The website goes on to explain that Boisfontaine's murder is one of many unsolved homicides:

Between 1997 and 2003, there were 60 cases of missing and murdered women in the area that went unsolved. And to make it even more complicated, the Baton Rouge area had multiple serial killers operating at the same time with two of the their victims living on the same street as Eugenie.

What else do we know about Iberville Parish? According to the community's official website, the chemical and agricultural industries drive its economy — and, despite the history of crime in the area, there's also a strong tourism industry. There are just over 33,000 residents and 13,000 households in the community. The parish is eager to promote tourism — Iberville's tourism website describes it as "a parish of magnificent antebellum homes and massive live oaks, of meandering bayous, historic buildings and waterways teeming with life."

However, they're not trying to sweep the past under the rug. In October, WAFB reported that the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office had willingly joined forces with the Discovery Channel for the production of Killing Fields. By working with the network, they have access to "new resources like sonar and advanced DNA testing" that could potentially crack the case. Additionally, they're re-interviewing witnesses and have hung fliers in the area surrounding the LSU lakes, which is where Boisfontaine was last seen alive. Hopefully this combination of investigative tactics will help detectives capture the killer, because Boisfontaine and her family deserve justice and this community deserves to feel safe.

Image: Discovery Channel