Holly MatkinNew Orleans, LA – New Orleans police have arrested four juvenile suspects accused of dragging a 73-year-old woman to her death during a carjacking on Monday afternoon.
The parents of two of the suspects contacted police to turn their children in after the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) released photos of them during the investigation, NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said during a press conference on Tuesday morning.
The horrific incident occurred in the 300-block of North Scott Street at approximately 1:30 p.m. on March 21, WVUE reported.
Linda Frickey, a 73-year-old life insurance agent, was leaving her job at Security Plan Insurance when she was targeted, her family told WDSU.
Frickey was putting something in her vehicle when four suspects suddenly jumped into her car and sped off, according to her sister-in-law, Kathy Richard.
“She got tangled in her seatbelt because they did not give her time to get out,” Richard told WDSU.
The suspects dragged Frickey with the vehicle for over a block before her arm was severed and she fell to the ground, according to the news outlet.
Neighbors chased after the vehicle and tried to stop the driver, but were unable to do so.
“I got out of my vehicle screaming, ‘Stop, stop. You are dragging someone!’” Todd Ecker told WDSU. “He took off with the vehicle, still dragging her. Reckless. No care for human beings at all.”
Frickey was lying on the pavement unresponsive with her arm dismembered from her body when first responders arrived, WVUE reported.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
BREAKING!!! 3 of the alleged 4 suspects involved in yesterday's deadly Mid City carjacking have been arrested or surrendered to New Orleans police! All of the suspects are juveniles and include 3 females and 1 male. The victim has been identified as 73-year-old Linda Frickey. pic.twitter.com/vSAJNJQcpM
— The NOLA Tabloid (@thenolatabloid) March 22, 2022
“It is disgusting,” Richard told WDSU. “You have a 73-year-old woman just at her job. Putting things in the car. They dragged her. No forethought. Dismembered her. Why? She was just a good person.”
Frickey leaves behind her husband, children, grandchildren, and siblings.
“She would have helped anyone off the streets,” Richard told WDSU. “She would have given them the car if they would have just given her the chance to step away.”
The NOPD released security camera images of the four suspects in the wake of Frickey’s murder and urged members of the community to contact police if they had any information about what took place, WVUE reported.
The NOPD has released these images of the 4 alleged suspects wanted in connection with the fatal carjacking this afternoon in Mid City New Orleans that left an elderly woman dead and her arm ripped from her body! If you recognize anyone, call Crimestoppers at (504)-822-1111. pic.twitter.com/nvQbiChrnz
— The NOLA Tabloid (@thenolatabloid) March 22, 2022
Superintendent Ferguson announced on Tuesday morning that all four juvenile suspects connected to this “horrific incident” have been apprehended.
Among them were a 17-year-old male, a 16-year-old female, and two 15-year-old females, the superintendent said.
They will each be facing a second-degree murder charge.
Police are also investigating whether or not the teens are connected with any other crimes in the area.
Superintendent Ferguson noted on Tuesday that one day earlier, he urged the community to play “an active role” in helping police apprehend those responsible for Frickey’s “senseless” and violent death.
“The community did just that,” he said. “So many of you decided not to allow this to be the norm…You decided to step up and say what it is that you saw or what you knew.”
These efforts, combined with the “hard work of the men and women of the New Orleans Police Department” resulted in the arrests of those responsible, Superintendent Ferguson told reporters.
Perhaps most helpful of all was the involvement of the parents of two of the suspects.
“The parents of one 15-year-old female immediately called our investigators and turned their daughter in,” Superintendent Ferguson said. “Then, the parent of the 17-year-old turned her son in.”
The parents reached out to the NOPD within an hour of the photos being released.
Investigators were subsequently able to gather enough information to execute a search warrant, leading to the arrest of two of the suspects.
The last suspect, a 15-year-old female, turned herself in to police late Tuesday morning, Superintendent Ferguson said.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision on behalf of these parents,” he noted. “I want to commend them for doing the right thing, and absolutely we need more parenting like that.”
“There are a lot of emotions,” the superintendent added, referring to the parents who turned their children in to police. “I won’t even begin to want to wonder what those emotions are like.”
Frickey’s family said they will remember her for her generosity and positive regard for others, WDSU reported.
“She was just the kindest. The best person,” said her sister, Jenny Griffin. “It is a hole in all of our lives that we will never get back. She will be deeply missed. That is all I can say.”
Family members say 73-year-old Linda Frickey was leaving her office at a nearby insurance company when she was carjacked earlier this afternoon in Midcity. She died on scene after suspects dragged her from her vehicle for at least a block.💔Hear from devastated family up next. pic.twitter.com/mzSlY16S2q
— Shay O'Connor (@SOCONNORNEWS) March 22, 2022
Griffin said the attack that resulted in her sister’s murder is “disgusting,” WDSU reported.
“When is it going to stop? That is what they target? Old ladies. It is cowardly. It’s evil,” she said. “The parents need to be held accountable.”
