A body was found floating in Bayou St. John on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, prompting a response from New Orleans police near Wisner Boulevard and Friederichs Avenue at about 8 a.m. Emergency responders confirmed the person was dead, and officers have so far classified the death as unclassified while the investigation continues.
According to fox8live.com, the New Orleans Police Department responded to a call about a body floating in the water of Bayou St. John, and EMS officials confirmed the victim was dead at the scene. NOPD has classified the death as unclassified, a designation the department uses when the cause and circumstances have not yet been determined.
A Waterway With a Troubled Recent History
Friday’s discovery is not the only body recovered from Bayou St. John in recent memory. In August, a resident living in the 5100 block of Bancroft Drive found a bag floating in the water, a discovery that was later tied to a body identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office, according to wdsu.com. The station reported that the remains were identified as Benita Robinson, 44, of New Orleans.
That bag was discovered Aug. 2 by someone living on Bancroft Drive near Filmore Avenue, the station’s report noted in a separate follow-up story. It remains unclear whether the Sept. 18 incident, which NOPD has placed near Wisner Boulevard and Friederichs Avenue, is connected in any way to the August case, and the two reports describe different dates and different stretches of the bayou.
Cause of Death Still Under Investigation
The cause of Robinson’s death had not been determined as of the most recent reporting, with the same account noting that the cause of Robinson’s death remains under investigation. Per nola.com, the death from the Bancroft Drive case was currently listed as unclassified, with more information expected only after an autopsy was completed.
Bayou St. John, which winds through Mid-City and past City Park, has been the site of multiple body recoveries in recent years. In 2024, a fisherman found decomposing human remains at the intersection of Mirabeau Avenue and Wisner Boulevard and flagged down Third District officers, according to nola.com’s earlier reporting on that case. Police at the time had not disclosed the age or gender of that decedent.
Earlier Incidents Along the Same Waterway
The bayou has also drawn police response in years past for reasons unrelated to homicide. In April 2021, officers received a call around 7:25 a.m. after a man was found lying unresponsive along the bank of Bayou St. John in the 5700 block of Wisner Boulevard, according to a report from fox8live.com. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
NOPD has not released further details about Friday’s discovery, and the investigation remains active. Anyone with information relevant to the case is encouraged to contact New Orleans police as the department works to determine how the person died and whether the death will be reclassified once more facts emerge.
