“Bring Our Baby Home”: Family’s Heartbreaking Plea as Search for Missing 15-Year-Old Continues
For most families, the worst day imaginable is burying a child.
For the family of 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, they haven’t even been given that chance.
They don’t have a gravesite to visit. They don’t have a funeral to plan. They don’t have the opportunity to say their final goodbye.
Instead, they wake up every morning hoping that today will be the day someone brings their son home.
According to Baton Rouge Police, Ja’Derrius disappeared after leaving home on June 5 to visit a friend. Days later, investigators announced what every parent fears hearing—they believe the teenager was murdered.
Police arrested 51-year-old Maurice Parms, charging him with first-degree murder. Investigators allege Ja’Derrius was beaten to death and that his body was later disposed of in a way meant to conceal the crime.
Now, instead of searching neighborhoods or wooded areas, law enforcement officers, crime scene technicians, and recovery teams are searching through mountains of trash at the Baton Rouge North Landfill.
Thousands upon thousands of tons of garbage.
Every bag…
Every pile…
Every truckload…
All in hopes of finding one little boy.
A Mother’s Nightmare
It’s impossible to imagine the pain Ja’Derrius’ family is living through.
Not knowing where your child is.
Not being able to hold one final service.
Not having a place to visit and say, “I love you.”
Every day that passes without finding Ja’Derrius is another day his family is left waiting for answers that no parent should ever have to wait for.
Authorities believe his body may have been carried into the landfill through the city’s garbage collection system. Recovery crews have described the search as painstaking and emotionally exhausting, carefully combing through massive amounts of debris under the scorching Louisiana sun.
Still, they continue.
Because somewhere beneath all of that waste is someone’s son.
Someone’s grandson.
Someone’s friend.
Someone who should still be enjoying summer break instead of becoming the center of a homicide investigation.
Justice Isn’t Complete Until He’s Found
An arrest has been made.
But justice isn’t just about convictions.
Justice is also bringing Ja’Derrius home.
Finding him means giving his family the chance to lay him to rest with the dignity every human being deserves.
It means allowing forensic experts to recover every piece of evidence possible.
Most importantly, it means ending the agonizing question that has haunted his loved ones for weeks: “Where is our baby?”
Beyond the Headlines
Sometimes, in true crime, it’s easy to become focused on suspects, charges, and courtroom proceedings.
But before there was a homicide investigation, there was a 15-year-old boy.
A child with dreams.
A child who had people waiting for him to come home.
A child whose family now sits by the phone praying for news that will finally allow them to begin grieving.
As recovery efforts continue, let’s not forget that behind every headline is a family living through unimaginable heartbreak.
Our thoughts remain with Ja’Derrius’ loved ones, and we hope the day comes soon when they can finally bring him home.
Because every child deserves to be found. Every family deserves the chance to say goodbye.
