Genealogical Society to welcome LaPoint at September meeting

The Liberty County Genealogical Society is pleased to announce a special presentation at its September 20 meeting. Shera Broussard LaPoint will speak about using DNA in building family trees, finding unknown parentage, and using DNA and family trees to identify crime victims and perpetrators. 

Shera Broussard LaPoint is originally from Kaplan, LA but has been a resident of Bunkie for 34 years. She is the wife of Dr. Paul LaPoint, Sr and the mother of four children and grandmother of eight, soon to be nine grandchildren. She was an office administrator for 32 years and now is a professional genetic genealogist. Shera has helped over 125 adoptees and people of unknown parentage find their biological families. She also works with Law Enforcement to solve cases of unidentified persons and identify perpetrators of violent crimes.

She is the founder of Our Roots Genealogy and DNA network and the founder of her own business, THE GENE HUNTER LLC. She enjoys speaking publicly to libraries and civic organizations about her DNA journey and is currently authoring a book to be published this year.

She has been honored by the League City Texas Police Dept with their Coin of Excellence for her work in identifying a victim in the Texas Killing Fields and has also received a Coin of Excellence from BARDA, the United States Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority for her work in a homicide case. She was recently honored to be named the 2021 Beaumont Police Department and Texas Rangers Troup A Crime Stopper of the Year award for her work in a 1995 homicide cold case.

Shera has been a guest Investigative Genetic Genealogist on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace since 2019. She is excited to have recently passed the Louisiana Private Investigator Exam and is looking forward to receiving her license as a Private Investigator. She is enthusiastic about being an advocate for Investigative Genetic Genealogy and how it is changing the face of crime fighting.

Ms. LaPointe will be accompanied by Tina Lewallen of the Beaumont Police Department.

The Liberty County Genealogical Society meets at 10 am in the Price Daniel Meeting Room located behind the historic Cleveland-Partlow House at 2131 Grand Avenue in Liberty. The public is welcome.