Search for Missing Baton Rouge Teen Expands to Nearly 1,000 Acres After Murder Arrest

Search for Missing Baton Rouge Teen Expands to Nearly 1,000 Acres After Murder Arrest

More than two weeks after 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnieweather vanished in Baton Rouge, search teams are continuing an extensive effort to find the missing teenager after a 51-year-old man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the case.

Maurice Parms was taken into custody on Saturday, nearly three weeks after Ja’Derrius was reported missing by his family on June 5. Despite the arrest, authorities and volunteers say the mission is far from over, as crews remain determined to bring the teenager home.

Search efforts involving K9 units and members of the United Cajun Navy have focused on thick woods, overgrown fields and isolated areas near where Ja’Derrius was last seen. Teams have continued combing through difficult terrain even after investigators announced the murder charge.

Over the weekend and into Monday, searchers covered thousands of acres, with nearly 1,000 additional acres searched on Monday alone. Teams concentrated on the Winbourne and Prescott areas before expanding outward to other locations across Baton Rouge.

Investigators and volunteers have searched numerous sites, including wooded areas off U.S. Highway 61, beneath bridges and even an abandoned church building located behind the Salvation Army.

Images circulating on social media showed heavy machinery removing a concrete structure near the scene connected to the investigation. Baton Rouge police later confirmed that they had used sonar and imaging technology to scan inside the structure. However, officials said no evidence of Ja’Derrius was found.

Because the investigation remains active, police declined to confirm reports that the structure may have been a septic tank.

Josh Gill, incident commander for the United Cajun Navy, said investigators believe whoever committed the crime may have attempted to move evidence far away from the original scene.

“You know it’s thinking that this person who committed this crime had a little bit of time to think about it and then wanted to get as far away as possible,” Gill explained. “That’s some of the ideas that we had.”

Although the search has yet to uncover the teenager’s remains, Gill said every area cleared helps narrow the investigation.

“As we clear an area, clear a road, clear acres, we know that’s where he’s not, so we are narrowing down the search,” he said.

For volunteers and search crews, the mission remains deeply personal.

“I’m looking for Jadarius, I’m looking for him,” Gill said. “I’m looking for any sign of him, anything that could lead us to find him. We need to bring him home.”

The disappearance of Ja’Derrius Minnieweather has shaken the Baton Rouge community, with local residents, volunteers and officials united in their determination to provide answers for his grieving family.

While one arrest has been made, authorities stress that the search continues. For those closest to the missing teenager, bringing Ja’Derrius home remains the most important goal.