May 25, 2026 | By: Madeline Cunningham

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

In 2007, Rico “Dunny” McGowan watched his favorite college football team, the LSU Tigers, win a national championship. Rico, a Louisiana native, loved the team and dreamed of playing defense for them. He spent much of his weekends watching college football or playing as LSU on NCAA Football 12 on his PlayStation. His sister, Rekelia McGowan, still remembers his custom purple and yellow LSU shoes.

Those LSU shoes were stolen on June 7^th, 2012, the night Rico McGowan was murdered by two masked men in Bogalusa, Louisiana. He was 24 years old. According to his sister, he ran with a tough crowd, but he made friends easily. Rekelia said, “Everywhere he went, he would bring a new friend back.”

His family describes him as a “finesser” and said he hustled for money. On June 7, 2012, Rekelia McGowan went to visit her brother. She discovered that her brother was on edge; he was not talking to her or laughing at her jokes as he normally would. That was the last time she saw her brother Rico alive.

Early in the morning of June 8, 2012, Rico was in an apartment in the Sunset Acres Apartment complex. Rekelia lived in the same complex. Someone texted her and said her brother had been shot. According to Rekelia, a witness told police that two masked men entered the apartment where Rico was and shot him.

After receiving the text, Rekelia called 911. Rekelia still remembers the feeling of holding her two young children and discovering that her brother’s life had been taken from their family. Police never received any leads and 13 years later, Rico’s case remains unsolved.

Bogalusa, Louisiana has some of the highest crime rates within the state. In 2012, the year Rico was murdered, the city’s murder rate was 32.53 per 100,000 population. Rico was one of five siblings. He left behind an older brother, his younger sister, and two younger brothers.

Rico and his four other siblings had moved from Angie, Louisiana, to Bogalusa, when Rico was in his late teens. He played varsity football for his high school and dreamed of becoming an NFL player. According to his sister, his teachers would let him get away with anything in school.

His inspiration, the person he wanted to be like, was his uncle Kenneth Owens. His uncle, Kenneth describes Rico as a good and humble young man. Rico was more of a son than a nephew to his uncle, Kenneth. Kenneth Owens loved to watch his nephew play football, watch him play in the yard with his brothers and cousins, and just loved to spend time with him. When Rico became an uncle himself, he aspired to be as influential as his uncle Kenneth was to him. Rico’s nephew was young when his uncle was killed, but he still remembers what he was like. He’s described as a spitting image of Rico and serves as a reminder of who Rico was.

Rico had a soft spot for his only sister, Rekelia, for whom he would do anything. Rekelia describes him as her twin despite them being two years apart. Rico was extremely protective of his mom and sister and if anyone dared to harm them, he wouldn’t hesitate to set them straight. Rico’s older brother always referred to him as “his big younger brother.”

Rekelia remembers how her brother taught her to turn her poetry into rap. He loved to watch her write and share her poetry with him. She continued to write poems after his death. In 2018, Relikia published a book of poems entitled, “Know My Name,” inspired by her brother. She dedicated part of the book to him to share how the loss of her older brother has affected her and her poetry.

After his death, Rico’s family spent several years meeting up on his birthday to celebrate his life and others in the community who may have also been forgotten. W.A.R. – what about Rico – is the abbreviation and slogan celebrated by Rico’s family. They advocate that his name and face are never forgotten.

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Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Bogalusa Police Department at (985) 732-6238. If you would like to remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, please call Crime Stoppers New Orleans at (504) 822-1111 or (877) 903-7807.

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