When Selonia Reed Never Came Home

48 Hours

This 48 Hours episode explores the 1987 murder of Salonia Reed, a mother whose body was found in her car with 16 stab wounds. Her son, Reggie Jr., recounts the trauma of her disappearance and the decades-long quest for justice, which culminated in the conviction of her husband, Reginald Reed, in 2022.

Key takeaways

Reggie Jr. struggled with trauma and identity after his mother’s murder.
DNA from a cigarette linked the crime to Jimmy Ray Barnes, not Reginald.
A polygraph was faked using Barnes’ identical twin, Billy Ray.

Transcript preview

My name is Reggie Reed. Salonia Reed is my mother and Reginal Reed Sr. is my father. My mother, she was the love of my life, my first love, and I was her everything. And I was the love of my life, my first love. And I was her everything. It was very rare. I wasn't by her side. Take me back and tell me what you remember about that day. That day we went to the mall. That's one of the things to do in Hammond, just go to the mall, even though if you're not buying anything, window shop if you would. Went to the mall, came home, and my mom went out and she never came home. My beepo went off. And it was Reginal. And he actually, had I seen Salonia. And I said, no, not since yesterday. I was a patrol officer for the Hammond Police Department. I was dispatched to a missing persons call on Apple Street in Hammond, Louisiana. The complainant, Reginalry, explained to me that his wife had left home the night before and had not returned and he was concerned and wanted to file a missing person report. I had received a description of the car from Reginald. I started to drive a Range Road and I noticed the car. Walk up to the car and noticed Salonia's body inside the car. It was very, very obvious that she was deceased. video and saw Saloni's body in that car. Immediately I was sad, I was mad. It was pretty apparent to me right away that whoever did this homicide hated this woman. So I called Reginald back. I said, Reginald, have you heard anything? He told me he said yes. He said they found her in her car. And he said that she was dead. And that was, I was interviewed after she was murdered as a six year old. When I watched that video over and over again, what did I do? What I see is a six year old. When I watched that video over and over again. What I see is a six year old boy that... changed. He doesn't understand the magnitude of it yet. I don't know what a city. You're asking me, you're trying to find out who killed my mother. Do you remember saying her money? You did? Anytime a young woman, Saloni's age is killed the way she's killed, I think most people right away would assume the husband did it. right and that's the easy way that's the stereotypical way but it's also not out of the realm of possibility that this was some killing for another reason from that day on my life changed forever it just begs the question why After my mother was murdered, things moved fast. I couldn't really understand like why would somebody kill her? Like, what did she do? It's been decades since Reggie Reed Jr. last saw his mother, Salonia. I feel like I missed out on a huge part of life. That I never get back. One of the last things he remembers is his mother buying him a chocolate chip cookie here at the Hammond Square Mall in Louisiana He told police his mother kissed him when she left the house later that night But the rest he says is a blur When you think about that. What does that feel like? When I think about how my mother's life was short and how my experience was short and I feel empty Who is Salonia? What do you say? Someone wants to ask me who was Salonia? I would say you looking at her. Because based on description, When I look at the mirror, I see my mother. Reggie's memories are at the heart of the memoir he's written about his mother's murder, the day my mother never came home. Within these pages, you will find the memories of a six-year-old boy whose mother was murdered. A 15-year-old young man searching for his place in the world without the guidance and encouragement of his mother. The night my mother went out and never came home. Life for me, And my father was basically flipped upside down. Charles Muse, now retired, was the police officer who found Salonia's body, after taking the initial missing person's report from her husband, Reginal Reed. of the car. She had 16 pinpoint like stab wounds in her upper torso, shoulder and neck. Her blouse had been torn off. Her pants had been removed from her. She had been sexually assaulted as well. Louisiana State Police Lieutenant Barry Ward would eventually be assigned to the case years later. He was only 16 years old when Salonia was murdered. In 1987, I was a sophomore in Marshall County High School in Western When he did pick up the case file, he took note of the lack of blood in the car. It would suggest that she was murdered in another location and then transported to where her body was later discovered at the Johns-car market. That market was about one and a half miles from the Reed House on Apple Street. At the scene, Officer Muse noticed something else about Salonia naked body. I did see a substance there had been a... placed on the body. It was a white liquid type substance, a tarso in the stomach area. Police believed the white lotion may have spelled out a word, but if there was a message it had become illegible in the Louisiana heat. The windows were rolled up. It was August at the time. It was very hot out. Detectives bagged any potential evidence, including the butt of a cigarette. A Winston cigarette. A Winston cigarette. it was probably here this. Police canvassed the area, but Ward says they didn't find any eyewitnesses or a murder weapon. The following day on Monday the 24th, a neighbor went to his mailbox and discovered a crucifix and a screwdriver. Given the nature of Salonia's injuries, police at first believed the screwdriver might be the murder weapon, even though it had no visible blood on it. It was early in the investigation and detectives looked at all the angles including Salonia's job at Citizens National Bank. She was a teller in the commercial section. She was described as being polite, kind, had a nice smile. Here she is taking part in a community fashion show, just one week before her murder. Salonia and Reginal, who was a marine and later a car salesman, met during their high school years. Salonia was known for being devoted to Little Reggie, as everyone called him. But the night she disappeared, she left the six-year-old at home with his father, according to what Reginald told police. He and his son, Reginald Jr. were going to stay and play video games while she went out to a local bar with her girlfriend. Officer Museus interviewed that friend, who denied, who denied she Selonia had plans that night. Reginald told police he suspected Selonia had a boyfriend and admitted he and his wife had personal differences. But Ward says the police found no evidence of an affair. Based on the research that I had conducted, her coworkers, the people that knew her, said that she just went to work and came home, that she was always seen with her little boy. The day after her body was found, the family home on Apple Street. The chief of police said that when he went in it smelled like bleach in the house. Detectives looked for evidence that Salonia may have been killed there, but all they found was a freshly vacuumed carpet and the gold clasp of a necklace. Reginal gave investigators permission to interview Little Reggie, the only other person in the home the night of the murder. In this police video, a detective questions Reggiei as his father fidgets with a beanbag in the intended for his son. Tell me what you remember about that night. Reggie Jr became his father's alibi. The boy said he and his father played video games and then slept together in the same sofa bed on that August night. Did