Albert John Hargrove

Background

Albert John Hargrove was born on 09/18/1942 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Kathleen Gray. He had two sisters, Mary and Judy, and a foster father, Walter White. Albert was the father of two children, a son, Frank Roberts, and a daughter, Katherine.

On 10/01/1961, Albert enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served as a cook until his honorable discharge on 08/11/1962. He married Lillian Deborah Flagg on 07/22/1966.

Albert returned to military service in 11/1974, enlisting in Troop E of the Louisiana National Guard’s 265th Cavalry, again serving as a cook.

He lived for a time in the Leesville area before moving to 3624 Fourth Street in Alexandria.

Albert was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Hicks, Louisiana.

Case Summary

Albert was last seen leaving a gathering in Alexandria on 12/23/1983.

On 12/27/1983, Alexandria Police found Albert’s body behind the Moore-Grant Goodyear warehouse at 2022 Third Street in Alexandria, later described as the old Firestone warehouse or dealership on upper Third Street. He was lying face down in a frozen puddle of water and was nude from the waist down. His pants were found nearby with his wallet still inside.

On 01/19/1984, the coroner’s office determined that Albert died from drowning and that his face had been forcibly held in water. His blood-alcohol level was 0.16. Investigators had initially considered whether he could have become intoxicated, passed out in the puddle, and drowned.

On 06/07/2004, the case was reopened. The passage of more than 20 years created significant investigative difficulties. The detectives who originally worked Albert’s case were no longer with the department, and witnesses had to be located and re-interviewed, and memories had faded.

The condition of the surviving case materials created additional difficulties. Although portions of the original case file survived two departmental moves, the original photographs had been lost and some of the documentation was incomplete. Physical evidence from the investigation was separately damaged or destroyed by mold after being stored in an evidence room with a leaking roof.

Suspects/Persons of Interest

No suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified.

Timeline

Limited Information – Can You Help?

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Research Notes

This profile will be updated as requested public records are received.

Sources

• Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, “Cold Case Files,” March 7, 2015.
• The Town Talk, “Local Police Awaiting Coroner’s Report on Cause of Man’s Death,” December 30, 1983.
• The Town Talk, “Albert J. Hargrove” obituary, December 31, 1983.
• The Town Talk, “Albert J. Hargrove” funeral notice, January 1, 1984.
• The Town Talk, “Police News — Drowning Caused Death,” January 20, 1984.
• The Town Talk, “Police Still Working on 20-Year-Old Slaying,” June 7, 2004.
• The Leesville Daily Leader, “National Guard Enlistments in Troop E Listed,” December 19, 1974.
• National Archives and Records Administration, 1950 United States Federal Census, Vernon Parish, Louisiana.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, BIRLS Death File, 1850–2020, record for Albert John Hargrove.
• Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Marriage Index, 1824–2021, marriage record for Albert John Hargrove and Lillian Deborah Flagg, July 22, 1966.
• National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, “Joel Price (Homicide Detective)”, including Katherine Hargrove’s account of her father’s death and her efforts to renew attention to the case, not dated.
• Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, “RPSO Cold Cases,” Albert Hargrove listing available in the archived 2006 version.

rev 08/27/26