Human remains discovered stuffed in a trash can near Bogalusa have been positively identified as 78-year-old Carley Provost Sr., a Franklinton man who had been missing since June 2025, according to the Washington Parish Coroner's Office. His son, Carley Provost Jr., who served as his father's caretaker, has now been charged with unlawful disposal of human remains after leading deputies to the body.
The identification, announced Thursday, closes out months of uncertainty for a family that had been searching for answers since the elder Provost vanished. As reported by Fox 8, authorities only became aware that Provost Sr. was missing after his son was arrested in early January 2026 on an unrelated murder charge, prompting investigators to ask who had been responsible for the elderly man's care.
Washington Parish Sheriff Jason Smith said that once Provost Jr. was taken into custody, deputies needed to determine his father's whereabouts. Per Mt. Hermon Web TV, Provost Jr. was booked on December 30-31, 2025, on second-degree murder charges following a fatal shooting, with bond set at $2,005,000.
A Week of Silence, Then a Confession
Sheriff Smith said Provost Jr. was not cooperating with investigators at the time of that initial arrest. According to a Washington Parish Sheriff's Office statement reported by WWL-TV, he initially did not cooperate before asking to speak with the warden in early January 2026, telling deputies his conscience was bothering him. That conversation led deputies to his father's body.
Provost Jr. led investigators to his father's body, the sheriff's office statement indicates. The remains were decomposed, and the Washington Parish Coroner's Office worked with the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab on forensic testing. Analysis of the remains indicated no signs of foul play.
Family Had Already Raised Alarms
The family had voiced concerns that Provost Jr. could not provide his father an appropriate level of care, according to the elder Provost's nephew, Daryll Smith. The family has said Provost Jr. moved his father out of a nursing home and served as his primary caregiver, a living arrangement relatives worried about given the son's own struggles.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation involving vulnerable adults age 60 or older can be reported to the Elderly Protective Services Hotline at 833-577-6532.
“Growing up in Bogalusa is rough by itself. It's historically been plagued with drug abuse, drug use. Little Carley was no exception,” Daryll Smith said.
Sheriff Smith said his office had begun conducting welfare checks at the family's request starting in the fall of 2025, but deputies could not locate Provost Sr. during those visits. Investigators said at the time that they had no reason to believe he was in danger.
Grand Jury Indictment and Legal Exposure
In April 2026, a Washington Parish grand jury indicted Provost Jr. on one count of second-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain felonies, tied strictly to the December 2025 shooting rather than his father's death. That indictment is separate from the newer charge of unlawfully disposing of his father's remains.
Provost Jr. faces a charge of unlawfully disposing of his father's remains. The cited FindLaw case concerns obstruction of justice. Whether prosecutors will pursue charges beyond that count remains an open question.
Provost Jr. was previously booked into the Washington Parish Jail in June 2021 on charges of aggravated battery and contempt of court, according to jail records reported by The Bogalusa Daily News.
A Pattern of Rural Discoveries
The case adds to a string of recent Washington Parish investigations that have ended with remains recovered in rural settings. In July 2026, authorities separately found human remains while searching for another missing local man, George Stevens near Franklinton. That same month, a Washington Parish judge sentenced 19-year-old Hakheim Young to life without parole for a fatal shooting outside Bogalusa High School, underscoring how violent crime prosecutions have remained a steady focus for local law enforcement.
