Father wanted for murder arrested in New York; children unhurt

July 30, 2008 10:07 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Christopher Baxter, Globe Correspondent, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

LYNN – Authorities in New York captured a murder fugitive and found his estranged girlfriend and their four children in Brooklyn tonight, ending a frantic day that began with a stabbing in Lynn followed by a manhunt that stretched throughout the Northeast.

Rodlyn Petitbois

Rodlyn Petitbois of Lynn disappeared after allegedly stabbing and killing Greenland Etienne, 33, a mother of four who apparently had taken in his girlfriend and children. He was found about 6:15 p.m. in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, while his family was discovered in a nearby park, police said. He was arrested as a fugitive and faces a charge
of first-degree murder, authorities said.

Authorities in New York said they found the missing family less than eight hours after Massachusetts State Police issued an Amber Alert at 10:44 a.m. -- their second such alarm in four days. Today's search included federal immigration officials, the FBI, and authorities in New York, where investigators almost immediately suspected Petitbois had fled because he had once lived there.

Paul Browne, Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department, said city police apprehended Petitbois about 6:15 p.m., 45 minutes after New York State Police issued their own Amber Alert for the fugitive and missing family.

Petitbois was captured at the corner of Franklin Street and Union Avenue, Browne said in a telephone interview. "Three detectives in an unmarked police car roll up. One said 'Hey, Rod,' got his attention, went up to him, took him into custody. He then basically told us immediately where the family was. ... He was not armed and he gave no resistance."

The woman, Louna Eveillard, 26, and children were found minutes later, sitting under a tree in nearby Prospect Park, Browne said, adding that other than a wound to the mother's hand, everyone was is "in good health and good shape ... We notified the Mass State Police, which presumably will come down to take this person into custody."

Steve O'Connell, a spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, said he expects Petitbois to be arraigned as a fugitive from justice tomorrow in New York City. If he waives rendition, he'll be returned to Lynn to face the murder charge.

Lynn police were called to 99 High Rock St. shortly after 1 a.m. today and found Etienne suffering from a stab wound to the eye. She was taken to North Shore Medical Center in Salem and transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was pronounced dead. Witnesses told police that Petitbois took his family captive and fled.

Late this afternoon, State Police released three photographs of the family taken by surveillance cameras, one showing Petitbois walking through the MBTA’s Haymarket Station in Boston. The other two -- which had time stamps about 6:30 a.m. -- showed the family walking together through a turnstile at South Station, with Petitbois holding one of his child’s hands
and Eveillard trailing them, carrying another child.

David Procopio, a State Police spokesman, said that based on those photographs and other information, authorities expanded the search to New York City. He could not explain why Eveillard appeared to be following Petitbois in the photos.

“We have solid information that leads us to believe that Ms. Eveillard is neither an accomplice nor a willing participant in the defendant’s attempted flight,” he said.

Authorities identified the children as Ryan Petitbois, 3, Lyndsey Petitbois, 2, Lauren Petitbois, 1, and Roddick Petitbois, 11 months

Their case prompted state police to issue the second Amber Alert this week. On Sunday, police issued an alert after Clark Rockefeller snatched his 7-year-old daughter from a social worker in the Back Bay and drove off. They are still being sought tonight.

Andrew Ryan of the Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent Jeannie Nuss contributed to this report.