Remains Believed To Be Missing 15-Year-Old Found After Crews Sifted Through Thousands Of Tons Of Landfill Waste

Remains Believed To Be Missing 15-Year-Old Found After Crews Sifted Through Thousands Of Tons Of Landfill Waste

Human remains believed to belong to missing 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather have been recovered from the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill in Zachary following a massive six-week search.

Clothing discovered with the remains reportedly matches what Ja’Derrius was believed to have been wearing when he disappeared. DNA testing will now be conducted to confirm the identification.

Ja’Derrius was last seen in Baton Rouge on June 5. Investigators later determined that he had been killed and that his body was likely collected by a garbage truck before being transported to the landfill.

Police arrested 51-year-old Maurice Parms on June 20 and charged him with first-degree murder in connection with the teenager’s death.

According to the arrest warrant, investigators believe Ja’Derrius was beaten to death during a confrontation with Parms over the way Parms was allegedly behaving toward a 16-year-old girl who had been friends with Ja’Derrius for years.

Investigators allege Parms concealed the teenager’s body, discarded evidence and later transported the remains to an area where they were picked up during garbage collection.

Before the remains were discovered, authorities said video recovered from the back of a garbage truck showed what appeared to be Ja’Derrius’ body being dumped at the landfill.

That evidence allowed investigators to narrow the search to a small portion of the approximately 400-acre facility. Teams from the Baton Rouge Police Department, FBI, National Guard and other agencies began physically searching the landfill on July 13.

As of August 14, crews had excavated approximately 4,265 cubic yards and processed roughly 3,590 tons of landfill waste. Searchers worked in protective equipment while examining debris containing broken glass, needles, toxic fumes and other hazards.

The discovery marks the apparent end of an exhaustive recovery effort, but authorities have stressed that the remains have not been formally identified. Confirmation will depend on the results of DNA testing.

Parms remains jailed as the murder case against him continues.

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