Body of missing 15-year-old found in landfill, weeks after man charged in connection with his murder
Maurice Parms was arrested on June 20 and charged in connection with the murder of Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, who was reported missing on June 5

NEED TO KNOW
- The remains of Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, a 15-year-old who was reported missing on June 5, were identified using DNA analysis with help from the LSU FACES Lab and state police, according to the Baton Rouge Coroner
- Maurice Parms was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Minnieweather’s death, and additional charges involving sexual crimes against other minors
- Police excavated over 4,000 cubic yards of landfill waste in extreme heat to recover Minnieweather’s remains, Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said in a press conference on Aug. 18
The remains of a missing 15-year-old boy were discovered in a landfill near Baton Rouge, La., the East Baton Rouge Coroner and Baton Rouge Police said on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Ja’Derrius Minnieweather was reported missing on June 5, Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said in a press conference. On June 20, police arrested Maurice Parms “for the homicide” of Minnieweather, Morse said. Two days later, their investigation of evidence led police to believe that Parms “concealed” Minnieweather’s body in a trash can that was picked up and brought to the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill in Zachary, La.
Upon discovering the remains, police turned them over to the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, which identified them as Minnieweather, according to The Advocate, WDSU and WAFB.
“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 in a statement, The Advocate reported.
After working with the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to establish a perimeter within the landfill to search for the remains, police began the search on July 13. Morse said that authorities conducted their search efforts for Minnieweather’s remains in weather above 100º.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Search teams had excavated “4,265 cubic yards of the landfill and processed 3,590 tons of landfill waste,” while the average daily productivity increased from approximately 150 tons per day to an average of 221 tons per day, Baton Rouge police said in an Aug. 14 statement.
“Certainly, I would’ve loved for Ja’Derrius to be in English class this week when school started,” Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said in the press conference. “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, 51, was arrested and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on June 21. He was charged with the first-degree murder of Minnieweather, for which he was held without bond.
Further investigation led to additional charges of second-degree vaginal rape, trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and indecent behavior with juveniles, all of which were filed on Aug. 14. He is being held on a $600,000 total bond for these charges, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE.
The new charges stemmed from “an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old female juvenile,” police said in an Aug. 14 statement.
PEOPLE has reached out to Baton Rouge Police and the Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office.
Minnieweather’s mother, Aquarius Minnieweather, started a GoFundMe to support the family’s burial costs and support her while she grieves.
“My heart is entirely shattered by the tragic murder of my 15-year-old son Ja’Derrius Minnieweather,” Aquarius wrote. “A sweet boy whose life was cruelly and unjustly stolen from me. As I navigate the profound tragedy his mother, I’m facing an agonizing living nightmare that no parent should ever have to walk through alone.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

