MISSING 15-YEAR-OLD FOUND IN LANDFILL WEEKS AFTER MAN WAS CHARGED IN HIS MURDER

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA — The search for a missing Louisiana teenager has ended in heartbreaking fashion after authorities recovered human remains from a landfill and identified them as 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather.

Ja’Derrius had been reported missing on June 5. More than two months later, investigators finally brought him home — after an extraordinary recovery operation that required police and federal investigators to search through thousands of tons of landfill waste.

A DISAPPEARANCE THAT QUICKLY BECAME A MURDER INVESTIGATION

Police arrested Maurice Parms, 51, on June 20 and charged him with first-degree murder in connection with Ja’Derrius’ death.

Investigators later developed evidence indicating that the teenager’s body had been concealed inside a trash container before being transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill in Zachary.

According to investigators, Ja’Derrius was allegedly killed following a confrontation involving Parms and a 16-year-old girl who was a longtime friend of the teenager. Authorities have alleged that Ja’Derrius was beaten during the confrontation.

THE SEARCH FOR A BODY HIDDEN AMONG TONS OF TRASH

Finding Ja’Derrius was an enormous challenge.

The landfill covers more than 400 acres and receives roughly 1,600 tons of waste every day.

Investigators worked with the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to narrow the enormous search area.

A video from the back of a garbage truck reportedly helped investigators reduce the search zone to just over half an acre.

Then the painstaking excavation began.

Search crews eventually excavated approximately 4,265 cubic yards of material and processed about 3,590 tons of landfill waste during the recovery effort.

SEARCHING THROUGH THE HEAT

The recovery operation began July 13 and continued under extremely difficult conditions.

Crews worked in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, wearing protective equipment while going through enormous quantities of waste.

Authorities emphasized that this was not simply a search operation — the landfill remained an active crime scene.

For Ja’Derrius’ family, every hour of searching represented another chance to bring their son home.

And eventually, investigators found him.

DNA PROVIDED THE ANSWER

When remains were recovered from the landfill, investigators turned them over to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office.

With assistance from the LSU FACES Laboratory and the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory, authorities used DNA comparison to identify the remains as Ja’Derrius Minnieweather.

The identification finally ended a painful period of uncertainty for his family.

His mother, Aquarius Minnieweather, described the loss of her son as an unimaginable tragedy and has started a fundraiser to help with funeral expenses.

THE SUSPECT NOW FACES MORE CHARGES

The murder case against Parms has also expanded.

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, prosecutors filed additional charges on August 14, including second-degree rape, trafficking of children for sexual purposes and indecent behavior with juveniles.

Police said those charges stem from a separate investigation involving an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl.

Parms remains in custody.

The murder charge carries no bond, while the additional charges carry a combined bond of $600,000.

“THE NEXT BEST THING WE COULD DO FOR THE FAMILY”

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards acknowledged the enormous effort required to recover Ja’Derrius.

The search teams had spent weeks working through the landfill, knowing that every passing day made the task more difficult.

For the community, the recovery brought a painful but important form of closure.

Ja’Derrius will finally be able to return to his family.

His mother can finally say goodbye.

And investigators can continue pursuing the case with his remains recovered.

He disappeared as a 15-year-old boy. His family spent weeks waiting for answers. And after thousands of tons of landfill waste were searched, authorities finally brought Ja’Derrius Minnieweather home.

The criminal case against Maurice Parms remains ongoing, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.