On November 21, a man was formally charged in connection to the disappearance of 32-year-old Ella Goodie.
In October 2022, Ella’s case was featured in Dateline’s ‘Missing in America’ series. Dateline spoke with Ella’s friend Felicia Broussard, who said she last spoke with Ella on March 8, 2022.
According to Felicia, Ella had been looking for new ways to make money, so Felicia suggested she start working for Lyft. But Ella wanted to make more money, so she began giving rides without the app.
Felicia told Dateline that on March 9, Ella told her two teenage children she was going to do a trip to Texas and would return home to Lafayette, Louisiana, the next day.
She never made it back. Ella was reported missing on March 11.
In April, 2022, the Louisiana State Police posted about Ella’s disappearance. They announced that the black 2012 Audi Q5 she had been driving had been located in St. Joseph, Missouri, about a 13-hour drive from her home in Louisiana.
In October 2022, Dateline spoke with Louisiana State Police Trooper Dereck Senegal who said Ella was last seen in that Audi with a passenger named Brandon Francisco.
Francisco was arrested two weeks after Ella’s March disappearance for an unrelated case from 2018. Dateline spoke with Brian Cespiva, the lead prosecutor on that case, who said Francisco was initially charged with various crimes including second-degree murder, theft of an automobile, and obstruction of justice. He pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge in October 2022 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
But Francisco’s violent history began long before that murder charge. Cespiva told Dateline Francisco had previously served a 10-year sentence for the attempted murder of his then-wife.
In 2022, the 38-year-old was named a person of interest in Ella’s case. Now, he has been charged with her murder.
In November 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brandon Jermaine Francisco with the 2022 carjacking that resulted in the death of Ella Goodie.
According to the indictment, “on or about March 9, 2022, Francisco, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm, took a 2012 Audi Q5, 2.0T, Sport Utility Vehicle from the victim, E.G., by force, violence, and intimidation, resulting in the death of the victim.” It also alleges Francisco used a 9mm caliber firearm during the crime.
If convicted, Francisco faces a sentence of up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, or both, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana stated.
An arraignment and initial appearance has not yet been scheduled. Dateline has reached out to Francisco’s most recent attorney of record for comment but has yet to hear back.
Ella’s body is still missing. Anyone with information regarding Ella’s disappearance is asked to call the Louisiana State Police at 318-484-2194.