🚨 DEVELOPING STORY: Investigators Narrow 400-Acre Landfill Search as New Information Emerges in Ja’Derrius Case
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The search continues for the remains of 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, more than a month after he was last seen in the Baton Rouge area.
Work began at 6 a.m. Monday at the Baton Rouge North Landfill, assisted by a special team including the FBI. About 70 personnel are actively searching a site just shy of 1 acre — narrowed down from the landfill’s full 400 acres.
Police Chief T.J. Morse said the current phase of the investigation began several weeks ago when authorities received information that Minnieweather’s remains were in the landfill.
Morse said investigators believe the teen’s body was likely picked up during garbage collection and taken to the landfill after he was killed.
Weeks of planning, weeks ahead
Multiple groups, including the National Guard, spent the past several weeks planning every step of the search process when Minniweather was first reported missing. Officials said the search could take weeks, with factors including the size of the site, weather conditions, and the need to preserve evidence all expected to impact the timeline. Search hours will vary each day depending on heat and rain.
Morse said the process took time as investigators had to coordinate personal protective equipment, heavy machinery, and other precautionary measures per FBI protocol to preserve remains and evidence best.
A dangerous search site
Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office said crews are searching between 8,200 and 11,000 cubic yards of material filled with glass, needles, and other trash materials. As those materials decompose and degrade, they emit toxic fumes and present other hazards — factors Tapp said are why it has taken so long to plan and coordinate the search effort.
All personnel on the field were required to wear special protective gear. The heat was expected to present an additional significant challenge for crews working in that gear.
“The FBI is bringing in every potential resource we have to support local, state, and other federal law enforcement who will be on the ground here,” Tapp said. “The Technical Hazards Response Unit, the Evidence Response Team Unit, and Team Adam’s combined expertise will increase our chances at a successful search mission. The ultimate mission is to bring Ja’Derrius home to his family.”
Tapp detailed the scale of the search effort, explaining that rotating teams will comb through roughly 40 yards of material at a time.
“Let me put that in perspective. I mentioned that in that area we need to sift through 8,200 to 11,000 cubic yards of material. Our rotating teams will comb through roughly a little over 40 yards of material at a time. That’s enough material to cover a football field. Our search teams of local, state, and federal law enforcement will examine that material one inch at a time for every potential clue,” Tapp said.
Once a critical piece of evidence is discovered, evidence response teams will take over collecting and documenting the evidence, working to establish whether it is human remains. Any potential evidence will also be sent to the LSU FACES Lab, which will be on the scene to help quickly identify any human remains.
FBI teams use drones, heavy equipment and protective gear while operating a base camp during the landfill search for Ja’Derrius Minnieweather.
Suspect charged in connection with Minnieweather’s death
Evidence from police suggests the teen was beaten to death. According to the arrest warrant, Maurice Parms, 51, is accused of stashing Minnieweather’s body and disposing of evidence after the attack.
Parms has been arrested in connection with the case and is facing a charge of first-degree murder.
