Sheriff Randy Smith called out his political opponent and several news organizations in what he said was the politicizing of the investigation into the mysterious death of Nanette Krentel. In a letter directed to the Morning Advocate and WWL TV, Smith wrote,
“Since Mrs. Krentel’s death two years ago, my office has worked tirelessly to try and solve her murder and give her family peace. To date, we have unfortunately been unable to obtain sufficient evidence to obtain a warrant for anyone’s arrest. That is not, however, because of a lack of effort. To date, my office has executed in excess of 65 search warrants in connection with this case, we have reviewed in excess of 45 hours of surveillance footage, we have conducted in excess of 80 interviews, and we have asked for assistance from, and have worked with, the FBI, ATF, United States Postal Inspection Service, the District Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police, all in an effort to solve this case. I have also retained the services of a retired U.S. Marshal of the Eastern District of Louisiana, specifically to give my investigators a fresh perspective.”
Smith ended the letter by writing,
“As I have said for the past two years, we will continue to run down every lead no matter where it takes us, and we will never stop working to try and solve this case and bring closure to Mrs. Krentel’s family. That is my promise to the victim’s family and to all the citizens of St. Tammany Parish.”
