82°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Kansas woman who barricaded herself in BR motel convicted in murder of missing Georgia man

59 minutes 55 seconds ago Friday, November 21 2025 Nov 21, 2025 November 21, 2025 2:28 PM November 21, 2025 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - A Kansas woman was convicted of murder on Thursday after a missing Georgia man's body parts were discovered by a couple in 2023. 

Danetta Knoblauch of Wichita, Kan., was found guilty of multiple charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, arson and concealing the death of another after the death of Melvin Cooksey.

Cooksey was reported missing in February of 2023 after Newton County officials responded to a fire, according to the Newton County District Attorney's Office.  During the investigation, authorities discovered that the fire was intentionally set with propane tanks spread throughout the house. 

In May of the same year, a couple hiking through the mountains in Fannin County came across a human skull, leading law enforcement to the discovery of a pacemaker with a serial number matching Cooksey's. 

Witness statements, social media, phone and license plate reader camera records led to the identification of Knoblauch, who was previously wanted for allegedly attacking a man with a sledgehammer in Kansas. 

Knoblauch was tracked to East Baton Rouge, La., and arrested on Kansas warrants following a lengthy standoff with the Baton Rouge Police Department and Louisiana State Police.

She was later extradited to Georgia and booked into the Newton County jail in July of 2023.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days