Reward increased in mother, son double-homicide

This month, Crime Stoppers and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office increased the $12,500 reward for information regarding the brutal murders of 42-year-old Daytra Miller and her 13-year-old son, Robert West, Jr. The current bounty is $25,000.

I remember visiting Daytra’s home and church on the day of their funeral. The line of cars in the procession stretched miles. Three years ago, I believed answers would come quickly, but today, investigators remain stymied.

This family’s horror began two days before Christmas 2018.

At 6:30 PM, Sunday, December 23, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s deputies answered a 911. A neighbor heard gunshots at the intersection of Labruzza Lane and Fontana Road, west of Independence. Inside the small wooden house on that corner, they discovered the bodies of the mother and son.

Daytra’s aunt, Gloria McGee, reported the week of the funeral that her niece had lived in the area for at least 15 years, many of them in the home on Labruzza. She described Miller as “Hardworking, very polite, full of life, and very caring.”

McGee said her nephew was an honors student. “He was an angel, a joy to be around. So loving, respectful.”

Family friend Bradley McDonald said, “Daytra Miller was beyond fabulous in every way. She was beautiful, strong, and smart and loved her family and community. Her son was a lovely young man. He was handsome, and also very kind, super polite, and smart. He was supportive of his big sister who attends our school. I will never forget them, nor will anyone else blessed enough to meet them.”

Robert West, Sr. told reporters that Daytra Miller had sent him a text saying she had been packing to bring Robert, Jr. to stay with him for the holiday, but Christmas Eve morning, he said, instead of watching his son opening gifts, he watched coroner’s office personnel carry his son from his home in a body bag.

West, the football coach at Greenville Park Leadership Academy, said he always wanted his son to see that showing love and being tough were not mutually exclusive.

When his son was at home, they had a morning ritual.

“I kissed him, and I hugged him, and we did our special handshake,” he said.

On mornings he was at his mom’s, he said, they would talk on the phone together and share a prayer before getting their days started.

West said friends usually called his son by his middle name, Allen, or “Papi,” a nickname he gave himself as a little boy because he admired baseball player David Ortiz, who fans called “Big Papi.”

The month he died, Allen attended his first school dance. West said his son asked him to go along as his “wingman.” West said the request touched his heart. Father and son had a great time, proudly coordinating outfits and taking photos together.

“He wore red, and his best friend wore black and red,” West said.

Daytra Miller and Robert West, Sr. once worked together at the Southeast Area Health Education Center, assisting people in getting health insurance. West said Daytra left that job and was managing some rental properties the two owned jointly. He said the two were no longer a couple but remained close.

“I lost my best friend, and I lost my son,” he said.

They were together for over 15 years, he said, and he loves her four daughters as though they were his own.

“My son was being raised by all of us. He’s the youngest of six, including the four girls.” He said his son’s siblings were looking forward to spending Christmas with their brother.

 “We were just trying to preach to them how important it is for them to stay together,” he said sobbing. “Even if Daytra and I stopped getting along, or something happened to one of us. As long as they stayed together, they’d be okay.”

Tangi Academy Principal Jackie Wilson described Robert, Jr. as “a kind, helpful, and caring young man who wrote about wanting to be a professional angler because his grandfather taught him how to fish.”

Kristian Polk-Usey, one of the teen’s teachers, said he acted as a mentor and role model for younger children. She said he was a football and basketball player, but he gave the best hugs. “He was everything you’d want your son to be,” Polk-Usey said.

In the month following the murders, TPSO’s Chief Information Officer, Dawn Panepinto, said investigators believe the victims may have known the person who committed the “heinous crime” since there had been no sign of forced entry at the home.

“At this point for investigative purposes, we’re accepting any information anyone has about shots being fired in the area,” she said, adding that investigators have been working on the case around-the-clock since the murders.

Sheriff Daniel Edwards told reporters, “We hope that someone with relevant information will step up and help put those responsible for this horrific crime behind bars. One thing we know is that there are people out there who have information about these murders. We want that information or anything that will lead us toward the shooters.”

Anyone able to help may collect the $25,000 in rewards anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa by calling 800-554-5245. Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization of citizens against crime. When someone calls, an automated system assigns him or her a unique code number to ensure anonymity.