Louisiana Mother Arrested in 1970 Cold Case Murder of Infant Son

March 30, 2025

SULPHUR, La. – A Louisiana woman has been arrested more than 50 years after the death of her 16-month-old son, following a reopened investigation that determined his death was a homicide.

Authorities say 75-year-old Alice Bunch Idlett was taken into custody on March 27 and charged with second-degree murder for the 1970 death of her son, Earl D. Bunch III.

The Sulphur Police Department reopened the case in 2022 at the request of the child’s family. Initially, authorities had ruled the infant’s fatal injuries as accidental, reportedly caused by a fall from his crib. However, new forensic evidence led to Idlett’s arrest.

At the time of the child’s death, his father was serving overseas during the Vietnam War. Court records from a past custody case between Idlett and her husband, Earl Bunch Jr., revealed disturbing letters she wrote while he was stationed abroad.

In a letter dated November 4, 1969, Idlett wrote:

"I just got through whipping that little [expletive]. I hate him. That’s the honest truth. … I wish I would have died when he was born. I hate myself. … Now I know how those people feel that get rid of their kids. I believe I could do it. I’m serious."

In another letter from December 9, 1969, she expressed similar sentiments:

"What is wrong with me, darling? I should love my own son, but I really don’t think I do. … If he would die tomorrow, I wouldn’t care. … To me, he is the one who ruined my life."

Despite denying involvement in her son’s death, medical records from the time indicate that when Idlett brought Earl to the hospital, he was limp and struggling to breathe. A physician noted the child had bite marks, a burn on his buttocks, and multiple bruises. He died the following morning during emergency surgery.

Detectives recently exhumed Earl’s remains and sent them to the FBI for forensic analysis, which confirmed his death as a homicide.

Idlett is being held at the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center on a $950,000 bond. The case remains under investigation.