A wellness check requested by a worried mother turned into a death investigation Tuesday after Tulane Police Department officers found a person dead inside a shower on the 7600 block of Burthe Street, with a knife and dried blood discovered near the body. New Orleans EMS and the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office both responded to the scene in the East Carrollton area, and authorities say no further details are available at this time.
The victim's mother asked for the wellness check Tuesday, and Tulane Police officers responded to the address and made the discovery, according to WGNO. Officers reported finding the person dead in a shower, with dried blood and a knife near the body, though the station notes authorities have released no further information about what led to the death. It remains unclear whether the deceased was a Tulane or Loyola student, and the coroner has not yet classified the death as a homicide, suicide, or otherwise.
Tulane Police were able to respond off-campus because the 7600 block of Burthe Street sits inside TUPD's concurrent police jurisdiction, which extends one mile beyond the university's boundaries under a written mutual aid agreement with New Orleans. Campus officers hold full state peace-officer certification, and the arrangement was formalized when TUPD and NOPD signed a jurisdiction agreement in December 2014, according to the Tulane Hullabaloo. That arrangement is why campus police, rather than city officers, were the ones who responded to the family's call.
Why Campus Police Patrol This Uptown Block
Burthe Street falls within a perimeter zone bounded by South Claiborne, St. Charles, South Carrollton, and Jefferson avenues, where TUPD runs continuous vehicle and bicycle patrols and deploys a dedicated power shift to handle off-campus calls during peak hours, per the department's own zone documentation. The block sits within one block of Maple Street, a corridor of shotgun doubles, duplexes, and multi-unit apartments that caters heavily to off-campus student renters from Tulane and Loyola universities, according to listings reviewed on Apartments.com. East Carrollton itself is a small, 0.38-square-mile subdistrict of Uptown bounded by St. Charles Avenue, South Carrollton Avenue, Lowerline Street, and Spruce Street, according to background compiled on Wikipedia.
It is not the first time TUPD has handled a violent incident on this stretch of street. In January 2020, Tulane Police officers responded to a fatal shooting near the corner of Burthe and Hillary streets, just blocks from Tuesday's scene, where a man was found dead inside a vehicle near popular student establishments, as reported by The Maroon.
What Happens Next in the Investigation
The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office responded to the scene. The death has not yet been classified as a homicide, suicide, or otherwise.
New Orleans EMS and the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office responded to the scene alongside Tulane Police.
East Carrollton includes student rental housing. The block lies within TUPD's jurisdiction, and Hoodline has also covered campus safety in its prior Uptown coverage. Whether NOPD Homicide detectives will take over lead responsibility for the investigation has not been announced, and authorities say no further details are available at this time.
