Former DCS aide charged in death

A former Department of Child Safety case aide has been charged with murder in Louisiana for the stabbing death of a young woman whose case he handled during his brief tenure with DCS.

The man, Dexter Mutongerwa, confessed to stabbing 18-year-old Angela Molden over the weekend, according to the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office. He was arrested Monday and booked on a charge of second-degree murder, the Sheriff's Office said.

Mutongerwa worked for DCS from April 22, 2019 to July 1, 2019. Agency spokesman Darren DaRonco said Mutongerwa resigned and that his departure did not involve any inappropriate conduct with children. He said he could not comment on the reason for his resignation.

Case aides supervise visits between children in state custody and their parents or caregivers.

Molden, the victim, apparently was in Arizona's child-welfare system last year after running away from her home in Louisiana. Earlier, she had lived in the Valley for about 10 years after Hurricane Katrina displaced many Louisiana residents, her mother and other relatives told the Times-Picayune.

It's unclear how long Molden was in Arizona and in DCS custody. But after returning to Louisiana, she and Mutongerwa kept in touch, her mother said.

Last weekend, Mutongerwa, who whom police described as a Tolleson resident, traveled to the New Orleans area to visit with Molden.

Police found her body on the back seat of Mutongerwa's car after he was involved in a singlecar crash in the New Orleans area. According to news reports, she had been stabbed repeatedly.