Gene “Tat-2” Thacker is known in Louisiana as a for-hire bounty hunter, but he is also known as one of the central figures in Spike-TV realty series “Big Justice” which first aired in 2012. The owner of Hookem and Bookem Elite Fugitive Recovery, LLC recently used his celebrity to put pressure on the parents of 2-year-old Timothy Thompson whose body was found in a shallow grave under a bridge in July.
“This girl allegedly took her own child’s life, and it became way personal for me. That’s why I basically started my own war,” said Thacker. He began his search of the child’s mother, 21-year-old Gabrielle Whittington, immediately following a police warrant being issued for her arrest. Thacker tracked down people who knew Whittington and hit the streets pounding on doors and asking a lot of questions. He said he didn’t want to overstep the boundaries of the U.S. Marshals but he was compelled to conduct his own search.
After searching for over 24 hours without stopping, Thacker took to Facebook to get his message out. He posted information on Whittington on his personal Facebook page and said that within six hours the post was shared over a thousand times. Whittington turned herself into police later that weekend and Thacker is convinced that it is because of the pressure he put on her and those who knew her whereabouts.
While the coroner has still not been able to determine the exact cause of the toddler’s death, it has been ruled a homicide. The mother of Onterio Thompson, the child’s father, said that the couple needs to be held accountable for their crime and said that she will not lie or make excuses for her son.
Whittington has been charged with second-degree murder and her bond was set at $500,000. Twenty-one-year-old Onterio Thompson has also been charged with second-degree murder in the child’s death.