CENTRAL — The walls of the Singleton family home once echoed with laughter, the smell of home-cooked meals, and the constant hum of a mother’s care. But now, the air is heavy with grief — the kind that comes when a life defined by love and service is cut short by violence – domestic violence.
Travis Singleton remembers every detail of his childhood with his mother, Alanna Singleton.
“She was a realtor, an amazing mom… all you know, my entire childhood, she was there,” Singleton told UWK. “She used to go to our cafeteria, get all the old cans and stuff, paint them so all my classmates could be painting Easter bunnies for class. She was always the parent-teacher of Tanglewood when we went there… amazing person.”
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For 33 years, Alanna was married to Travis’s father, raising their children — Travis and his little brother, Dylan — and keeping the family’s traditions alive.
“We used to have a camp on False River,” Singleton recalled. “We’d pack everything up at the end of the year — the jet skis, the boats — and move out there for three months. She’d come home to cut the grass, wash all the cars, clean the house. All by herself. She just made sure we could be a family when Dad was home.”
Loneliness and a Dangerous New Relationship
That life changed when Singleton’s father died three years ago. Alanna, only in her early 50s, faced loneliness for the first time in decades. “It made things hard,” Singleton said. “She went through some trouble by herself, and this guy just latched on to her and took advantage of the situation.”
That man, identified as 54-year-old Paul Varnado, had only been in Alanna’s life for three months. Friends and family warned her about his behavior. Police were called to their home multiple times. Three weeks before her death, Varnado pushed Alanna down a flight of stairs, leaving her badly bruised.
“It was not pretty,” Singleton said quietly. “I told her, ‘You’ve got to get away from this guy’.”
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A Pattern of Violence
Varnado was arrested on June 24, 2025, for domestic abuse battery. He spent several days in jail until a protective order was signed. By June 28, he was out on bond, awaiting a September court date. Despite that order — and despite multiple people urging her to cut ties — Alanna let him back into her life.
Singleton believes his mother’s deep empathy was part of the reason.
“She was such an empathic person… I think she felt sorry for him, that he didn’t have anywhere to go,” he said. “The neighbors told me he didn’t even have a toothbrush in her house. No real belongings. I think he just fed off her energy.”
Court records show this wasn’t Varnado’s first time facing domestic violence charges. In 2022, he was arrested for domestic abuse battery against his then-wife of 15 years after pushing her during an argument.
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The Morning Everything Changed
On Sunday, August 3, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies responded to Alanna’s home on Arleen Avenue in Central. They found both Alanna and Varnado dead from gunshot wounds in what investigators say was a murder-suicide.
For Singleton, the call came after church.
“We had just gotten home when my cousin called,” he said. “A neighbor thought someone was passed out on the porch. But when they went to check… it wasn’t that.”
Regret and Reflection
It’s a loss made even heavier by regret.
“We just went through this three years ago with my dad,” Singleton said. “I guess I wish I would have tried harder, or I wish I would have pushed things harder. I wish I would have done more.”
He knows his mother understood who she was dealing with. “She knew this guy wasn’t any good,” he said. “She knew it deep down.” Still, her compassion kept her from turning him away.
Domestic Violence | A Plea to Others
Now, Singleton wants others to learn from his family’s tragedy.
“Try harder to make things easier for that person… just to not be in this situation,” he urged. “Because you might not get another chance.”
For Dylan, for Travis, and for all who knew her, Alanna Singleton will be remembered not for the way she died, but for the way she lived — a woman who lit up every room she entered, who gave her time and her heart freely, and who loved her family beyond measure.
“She was the heart of our family,” Singleton said, his voice breaking. “And I don’t know how we go on without her.”
For immediate help, victims can call the Iris Domestic Violence Center Crisis Line at 225-389-3001 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
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