She Vanished Last March After Giving Someone A Ride From Louisiana To Texas, And Then Her Car Was Found 13 Hours Away From Her Home

Twenty-two years ago, Ella Goodie from Lafayette, Louisiana, met her best friend, Felicia Broussard, in a detention home for troubled teens. And from the start, Felicia felt a duty to look after her “younger sister.”
“I kind of always wanted to look out for her since we met. Growing up, she had it a little more rougher than the average person,” Felicia said in an interview with Dateline.
According to Felicia, Ella’s mother was disabled. So, from a very young age, Ella was expected to be her mother’s caregiver and help raise her only sibling.
“She had to step up as a kid– look after her brother, help her mama. She was like a caretaker for him, and I was hers,” she recalled.
Despite these struggles, Ella reportedly always stayed in good spirits, and the pair of friends regarded each other as family.
In March, though, the 32-year-old disappeared while giving someone a ride from Louisiana to Texas, and Felicia has been left reeling ever since.
It all began earlier last year when Ella shared how she was looking for work, and Felicia suggested that she start working for Lyft– a ridesharing company. According to Felicia, her friend was hesitant at first and did not really want people in her car.
“But I kind of talked her into it,” Felicia revealed.
And eventually, Ella came to enjoy the job before even deciding to cut out the middle man and rideshare on her own.

Facebook – pictured above is Ella
More specifically, she began working without the app because she figured she would make more money.
After Felicia talked to Ella on Tuesday, March 8, though, she had no idea that would be the last time she ever spoke to her friend.
During that call, the pair reportedly discussed their weekend plans. Ella also revealed how she had met some new people and had been driving them places.
Then, come Wednesday, Felicia became concerned after she phoned Ella and got no response. So, on Thursday, she reached out to Ella’s two teenage children and asked them to have their mother call her.
At the time, Ella’s children did not tell Felicia they had not seen their mother since Wednesday. According to Felicia, though, the kids might not have realized it was time to worry.
“They [Ella’s children] didn’t tell me anything until I called them again on Friday. She had said she was gonna do a trip to Texas, and she would be back at night– maybe they felt there was no need to panic,” Felicia explained.
Tragically, though, Ella never arrived back home. And by March 11, her brother reported her missing to the Louisiana State Police Department.
Investigators later shared a press release on April 1, confirming that March 9, 2022, was the last time Ella had been seen.
The release was subsequently updated to reveal that Ella’s car, a black 2012 Audi Q5, had been located in St. Joseph, Missouri– 13 hours away from her home.
“Detectives and investigators from Louisiana State Police, Scott Police Department, and St. Joseph Police Department will continue to work together to locate Ella Quiana Goodie, who is still missing,” the release added.
By May 3, though, a Facebook update by the Louisiana State Police Department revealed that Ella’s case investigation had changed courses.
“Based on investigative techniques and witness statements, detectives and investigators have transitioned from a missing person’s case to a homicide investigation.”
It has also since come to light that Ella had last been seen driving her Audi in the Calcasieu Parish area with one passenger, Brandon. Brandon was reportedly named a person of interest during the investigation but has not been charged.
Two weeks after Ella disappeared, he was also arrested in connection with an unrelated 2018 case. Brandon was initially charged with several crimes, including theft of an automobile, second-degree murder, and obstruction of justice.
He pled guilty to a second-degree murder charge and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October. And according to Brandon’s lead prosecutor, Brian Cespiva, this was not the first time he was convicted of a violent crime.
During the early 2000s, Brandon attempted to murder his then-wife and stabbed her “multiple times.” He then served out a 10-year prison sentence.
According to Brandon’s own attorney, Tiffany Sanders, though, he was not contacted regarding being a person of interest in Ella’s case.
So, in the meantime, Ella’s loved ones have continued their search for answers. They created a Facebook group entitled Help Find Ella to help spread awareness and updates on the case, and Felicia has taken to putting up posters.
“I’ll still continue my journey of putting her picture up at every gas station. I believe in God, so I know we’re going to get justice for her,” Felicia said.
Ella is five foot three, weighs 125 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. She also has numerous tattoos– one of which is a Houston Texans bull on her neck.
If you have any information regarding Ella’s case, you are urged to contact the Louisiana State Police Department at (318) 484-2194.
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