On December 13, 2020, in Hemphill, Texas, police in Sabine County got a call about a houseboat on fire. 

The houseboat was docked behind 322 Echo Ridge, off of Cedar Grove Road on Highway 21 in the Pendleton area of Toledo Bend. And the scene very quickly descended into total chaos. 

The firefighters had trouble getting out to the remote location, and by the time they got there the boat was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters and paramedics rushed to the boat but it was too late. By the time they got there the walls had caved in. And then, when they dug through the remains of the boat, they found the body of 64-year-old Doug Janis. 

At first, they thought that the fire had been some kind of accident and that Doug had died as a result of a propane leak. But then, they took Doug's body in for an autopsy, and they found two bullets in his head. 

Doug Janis had been murdered. And his much younger wife April Mae Janis was nowhere to be found.

But Doug’s death was just the beginning of a story that goes back twenty years and involves sex, allegations of corruption, and multiple murders.

If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. 

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