Baton Rouge police say they have recovered remains believed to be those of 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, ending a six-week search of a Zachary landfill that stretched from a 400-acre debris field down to a patch of trash barely half an acre wide. The teen was reported missing on June 5, and police announced two weeks later that they presumed him dead. On Tuesday, investigators said the remains turned up in a newly searched section of the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill.
According to KADN News 15, clothing found with the remains matches what multiple sources say Minnieweather was wearing when he disappeared. Police say formal identification will still require DNA testing, but Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards told reporters, “This son of Baton Rouge is going to be brought home.” Edwards also thanked every agency that assisted with the search, which drew in local police, the FBI, the National Guard and volunteer groups over the course of the operation.
How Investigators Narrowed a 400-Acre Search
Investigators believe Minnieweather’s body was picked up during routine garbage collection and hauled to the landfill inside a trash can, according to the same report. Per Unfiltered with Kiran, investigators used garbage truck GPS tracking data to determine that the specific trash container was emptied at the North Landfill in Zachary at 10:32 a.m. on June 22 — the same date police say they believe suspect Maurice Parms put the teen’s body in a trash can. That data, combined with National Guard support, allowed authorities to narrow the search area from roughly 400 acres to just over half an acre, KADN News 15 reported.
A video from a garbage truck reportedly shows Minnieweather’s body being dumped at the landfill, per the same report. Search teams processed 3,590 tons of landfill waste by August 14 and had excavated 4,265 cubic yards of debris by that date, working by hand while wearing full personal protective equipment. Crews also increased their average daily productivity from roughly 150 tons per day to 221 tons per day as the search intensified.
Federal Teams Joined a Hazardous, Six-Week Dig
Specialized FBI Evidence Response Teams from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with personnel from the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, deployed to the landfill site beginning July 13 to assist local police, according to the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office. The bureau’s Jonathan Tapp said decomposing landfill material emits toxic fumes and presents other hazards, underscoring why searchers needed full protective gear throughout the excavation. Before search efforts consolidated at the North Landfill, volunteer organizations including the United Cajun Navy had already cleared nearly 2,500 acres across East Baton Rouge Parish and searched parts of neighboring West Feliciana Parish.
Search teams sifting through more than 4,000 tons of hazardous debris had recovered and analyzed 4,160 non-human animal bones before finally locating human remains, illustrating the painstaking scale of the forensic work. Investigators believe Parms disposed of evidence before transporting Minnieweather’s remains for disposal and stashed the teen’s body prior to it reaching the landfill.
Suspect Faces Murder and Additional Sex Crime Charges
Maurice Parms, 51, faces a first-degree murder charge in Minnieweather’s death; police arrested him on that charge on June 20. He is accused of beating the teen to death during a disagreement over his treatment of a 16-year-old girl. According to an arrest warrant affidavit reported by WBRZ, witnesses told investigators they saw a tall man matching Parms’ description beating a smaller individual for several minutes while a voice begged him to stop, and police later found large bloodstains at the scene and inside Parms’ truck.
East Baton Rouge Parish Commissioner Kory Tauzin formally denied bond for Parms during his initial court appearance on the murder charge on June 22. Parms had previously bonded out on June 10 after an earlier arrest on charges of indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor, filed after police discovered text messages between him and the 16-year-old girl during the missing person investigation. On August 14, Baton Rouge Police booked Parms on additional felony charges, including second-degree rape, trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and indecent behavior with juveniles, stemming from his alleged relationship with the same girl.
DA Says Prosecutors Are Ready to Move Forward
Minnieweather was last seen riding a small bicycle in the Ghost Town area of Baton Rouge on June 5 after leaving a friend’s house; he had recently started a city summer employment program at Istrouma High School before he disappeared. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said Tuesday that prosecutors are prepared to present the case in court and now have the formal ability to “speak for Ja’Derrius” following the recovery of remains, according to Unfiltered with Kiran. DNA testing will still be needed to formally confirm the identity of the remains, even as officials express confidence based on the clothing match and the location data tying the discovery to Minnieweather’s disappearance.
