LEONARD GRAY

HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Parish sheriff’s investigators are still piecing together the events leading to the death of Felicia S. Tumbar of Hahnville. The 25-year-old woman was found dead May 25, in her home at 200 Sunset Court, after family and co-workers reported her missing. Sheriff Greg C. Champagne confirmed that Tumbar’s boyfriend, who tried to commit suicide by drinking acid, is a “prime suspect” in Tumbar’s death. The boyfriend, a LaPlace resident, attempted suicide on May 23, the day after it is believed Tumbar died. He has not yet been identified, pending his arrest. “We’re treating it as a homicide,” Champagne confirmed. Tumbar, an employee at Wal-Mart in Boutte, missed work for several days before family members gave deputies permission to enter her home. Entry was forced by pushing in a window air conditioning unit, Champagne said. There, she was found dead in the bedroom with bruises on her neck consistent with being strangled with an electrical cord. The cord was not found around her neck, Champagne added. She was last seen on May 22 at about 6 p.m. when she dropped off her child with her sister and stepfather in New Sarpy. Neighbors reported seeing her boyfriend going in and out of her home in the Hahnville public housing development later that evening and provided deputies with his first name and description of his vehicle. The boyfriend is now in an area hospital, recovering from his self-inflicted injuries. Investigators briefly questioned him and confirmed a long-term relationship with the victim, and also heard an admission he had been in Tumbar’s apartment until past midnight on May 22. Once he is released, Champagne said, he will most likely be charged in Tumbar’s homicide. “I’d call him a prime suspect,” he said.