Body of missing 15-year-old found in landfill 2 months after disappearing, sources say

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) - The remains of a missing Louisiana 15-year-old have reportedly been found in a landfill.

DNA testing will be conducted to formally verify the identity of the remains, but multiple sources have confirmed that the clothing found at the scene with the body matches what the teenager was said to be wearing when he disappeared.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, Ja’Derrius Minnieweather had been missing since June 5. About two weeks later, police announced the teen was presumed dead.

Authorities initiated an exhaustive search at the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill last month before announcing the finding of the remains this week.

A suspect in the teen’s disappearance and death has already been in custody. Maurice Parms, 51, was arrested on June 20 and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a first-degree murder charge.

According to an arrest warrant, detectives said Ja’Derrius was beaten to death during a tense disagreement with Parms over how the 51-year-old was acting toward a 16-year-old girl, who was a longtime friend of the teen.

Investigators said Parms then stashed the teenager’s body and tossed evidence before disposing of the remains.

On June 22, evidence led investigators to believe Parms put Ja’Derrius’ body in a trash can that was sent to the Zachary-area landfill.

Baton Rouge authorities said the team started by working to narrow down the 400-acre landfill to a smaller search area.

The search area was narrowed to just over half an acre, thanks to a video from the back of a garbage truck that showed Ja’Derrius’ body being dumped at the landfill, officials noted.

Several agencies were involved in the search for the teen’s body.

Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards thanked every agency that helped with the search.

“This son of Baton Rouge is going to be brought home,” he added.

Last week, search teams said they had excavated 4,265 cubic yards of the landfill and processed 3,590 tons of landfill waste in the search for Ja’Derrius.