The remains of a missing 15-year-old boy have been found in a Louisiana landfill more than two months after he disappeared, bringing a heartbreaking end to a massive search effort.
Ja’Derrius Minnieweather was reported missing on June 5, according to Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse.
Police later arrested 51-year-old Maurice Parms in connection with the teen’s death.
Morse said Parms was arrested “for the homicide” of Ja’Derrius on June 20.
Two days later, investigators said evidence led them to believe Parms had allegedly placed the teenager’s body inside a trash can that was later collected and transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill in Zachary.
That discovery triggered an enormous search operation.
Baton Rouge police worked with the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to establish a search area inside the landfill.
Crews officially began searching on July 13.
The work was grueling.
Authorities said teams conducted the search in temperatures above 100 degrees while digging through thousands of tons of garbage.
By Aug. 14, crews had excavated 4,265 cubic yards of landfill material and processed approximately 3,590 tons of waste.
Search teams initially averaged about 150 tons per day before increasing their pace to roughly 221 tons per day.
Their efforts eventually paid off.
Remains recovered from the landfill were turned over to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office.
On Aug. 18, authorities announced that DNA testing had confirmed the remains belonged to Ja’Derrius.
“With the assistance of the LSU FACES Lab, led by Dr. Ginesse Listi, and the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office has made an identification of the remains of Ja’Derrius Minnieweather using DNA comparison,” the coroner’s office said, according to The Advocate.
Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards praised the search crews for refusing to give up.
“Certainly, I would’ve loved for Ja’Derrius to be in English class this week when school started,” Edwards said.
“But the next best thing we could do for the family is to give them peace. And that was provided by these hardworking people.”
Parms was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on June 21 and charged with first-degree murder in Ja’Derrius’ death.
He is being held without bond on the murder charge.
The case later widened.
On Aug. 14, Parms was also charged with second-degree vaginal rape, trafficking of children for sexual purposes and indecent behavior with juveniles.
Those charges stem from what police described as an alleged “inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old female juvenile.”
Jail records reviewed by PEOPLE showed Parms was being held on a combined $600,000 bond for the additional charges.
The allegations against Parms have not been proven in court.
Ja’Derrius’ mother, Aquarius Minnieweather, has created a GoFundMe to help cover burial expenses and support the family as they grieve.
“My heart is entirely shattered by the tragic murder of my 15-year-old son Ja’Derrius Minnieweather,” she wrote.
She described her son as “a sweet boy whose life was cruelly and unjustly stolen from me.”
Aquarius said she is now living through “an agonizing living nightmare that no parent should ever have to walk through alone.”
For investigators, the identification marks the end of an extraordinary landfill search.
For Ja’Derrius’ family, it brings confirmation of the outcome they had feared most — and allows them to finally bring their son home.
