A secret video linked to the search for Ja’Derrius Minnieweather has led his grandmother to vow she will never stop fighting to see it
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The search for murder victim Ja’Derrius Minnieweather has stretched into a third week, with crews continuing to comb a Baton Rouge landfill where investigators believe his remains were unknowingly brought after he was killed.
Minnieweather had been missing since early June. Investigators believe his body was picked up during garbage collection and brought to the landfill.
Video evidence at center of family dispute
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore told WAFB investigators have a video from the back of a garbage truck that shows the teen’s body being dumped at the landfill. Minnieweather’s family has been pushing for that video to be released but has faced pushback from authorities over concerns of that video becoming public record, he said.
“I’m sure the family wants to know as much as they can know, as any other family in any case,” Moore said. “The problem is, we just cannot show evidence that is going to be used at trial until it is the appropriate time. I think they want to know to be certain that ‘you’re not on a wild goose chase and actually searching where my son would be.’”
Moore explained that even if the video was shown exclusively to the family, it would become subject to public records by state law. He said he spoke to the Baton Rouge Police Department, along with the mayor’s office, last week about this situation but has not since heard an update. He said law enforcement’s position on not releasing the video has not changed.
Minnieweather’s grandmother told WAFB Monday that she now understands why BRPD will not release the video but “will not stop pushing to see it.”
Three weeks, 57 tons, no answers yet
The search area has been narrowed to just over half an acre of a 400-acre landfill, in large part thanks to that video. Getting to that point alone took multiple agencies, including the National Guard, several weeks to establish.
Searchers in full personal protective equipment are going through the debris by hand — sifting through glass, needles, and other trash, examining every item. FBI New Orleans Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp said the material emits toxic fumes and presents other hazards as it decomposes.
Tapp said those conditions are why planning and coordinating the search took as long as it did.
As of last week, Baton Rouge Police said crews had already searched 57 tons of material. An updated figure for this week’s excavation effort has not yet been released to WAFB.
All personnel in the field are required to wear special protective gear, as it is considered a hazardous and dangerous site. Heat is expected to present an additional challenge for crews working in that gear.
Officials said weather conditions and the need to preserve evidence are among the other factors expected to impact the timeline.
SOURCE: WAFB
https://www.wafb.com/2026/07/27/minnieweather-family-pushing-critical-evidence-release-landfill-search-enters-week-three/
