Minden, LA ~ [BODY IDENTIFIED- Darryl Wright] police stumped by human remains case

[Faith]

Minden police stumped by human remains case

Posted: July 2, 2008 12:01 PM

Updated: July 2, 2008 12:08 PM

http://ksla.images.worldnow.com/images/8610350_BG1.jpghttp://ksla.images.worldnow.com/images/8610350_BG2.jpg

MINDEN, LA (KSLA) - Minden police say they're frustrated by a case involving human body parts that were found in a drainage ditch last month.

Children playing along Horton Street in mid-June discovered a leg in the ditch and notified an adult who called police. Once detectives arrived, they conducted a thorough search of the area and found pieces of a torso and an arm about 300 yards away.

On Wednesday morning, police returned to the scene with members of the Shreveport Fire Department's Search and Rescue Team. They used a cadaver dog to sniff out areas along the bottom and sides of the ditch that might lead to additional evidence.

"We feel like if we can find the skull, we can tell a lot more about (the dead person)," Bloxom said.

The body parts that have been found have been sent to Little Rock, AR, for an autopsy.

Chief T. C. Bloxom told KSLA News 12 Wednesday a preliminary report shows they came from someone who is about six feet tall and between the ages of 30 and 35. However, he said there was not enough evidence to determine if the dead person was a man or woman, black or white.

"We don't know what we got," Bloxom said. "We've got a piece of a body. We don't have any identification on it. We don't have any cause of death."

Bloxom said it appears the body may have been torn apart in the swift current that existed at the time the parts were discovered. The ditch, which usually holds only a few inches of water, was filled with several feet of fast moving water because of a recent storm.

Minden police are not currently investigating any missing persons cases, Bloxom said.

http://www.ksla.com/global/story.asp?s=8610350

[TigressPen]

I hope once DNA is done on the remains they give an update on possible identification. For the deceased. :1222423:

[Nut44x4]

Autopsy yields few clues to identity of body

Friday, 27 June 2008

An autopsy report issued Wednesday by the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock sheds little light on the identity of a headless corpse, found June 18 in the Mile Creek watershed.

The report indicates that the deceased was approximately six feet tall and weighed around 200 pounds. Due to the extent of decomposition, the forensic pathologist could not determine race.

“The autopsy revealed that the individual had been deceased for approximately two months,” said Minden Police Chief T.C. Bloxom. According to the report, there are no signs of trauma to the recovered remains – no bones are broken and there are no indications of trauma to the sites where the head and two limbs became detached.
“It appears as if the body parts became detached due to decomposition and the force of the running water in the stream,” said Bloxom.

Since the discovery of the body, detectives, city work crews and members of the Four States Search and Rescue Team, along with their cadaver dogs, have searched Mile Creek on both the north and south side of the Shreveport Road bridge, which crosses the stream near Horton Street.

A piece of was flesh found during the searches have been identified as human remains; however, authorities are waiting on DNA testing to determine if the remains are one and the same.

During the investigation, detectives have been canvassing the area, checking on those who are known to live on the streets or have no family to report them as missing.

“So far, we’ve checked on probably 30 people,” said Bloxom. “All of those people have been accounted for.”
Bloxom said there have been no reports of missing persons during the past two month period; however, DNA samples from one person who currently remains unaccounted for have been taken for comparison to the body.
“He (unaccounted person) has gone missing before and was not reported missing prior to the discovery of the body,” said Bloxom. “DNA is new, but it really helps in cases like this.”

The body of the deceased was discovered June 18 by three youngsters who were fishing in the area.

The children initially discovered a leg and foot floating along the bank of the creek. Authorities were contacted and a subsequent search of the stream revealed a larger portion of the badly decomposed body further upstream, draped across an elevated pipeline.

Due to the position of the body, it appears that it washed downstream following a June 9 thunderstorm that dropped more than 5 inches of rain, which flooded the ditch.

Since the discovery of the body, authorities have spent a considerable amount of time searching Mile Creek, both upstream and downstream, in an attempt to locate the decedent’s head.

“We need the head to help determine identification,” said Bloxom. “You can found out so much more from the head — you can compare dental records and determine facial features.”

The investigation, as well as the search for the missing body parts, is continuing.


http://www.nwlanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9150&Itemid=57

[Nut44x4]

Interesting comments at the above site

[TigressPen]

Interesting comments at the above site


I only saw 4 comments and they are all but 1 by same person. Did the site take down any of them?

[packy]

I only saw 4 too. Interesting is right since they mention a gun. And I hope they do follow up on what one person said about a local guy who seems to be out of sight for quite a while now.

[TigressPen]

I only saw 4 too. Interesting is right since they mention a gun. And I hope they do follow up on what one person said about a local guy who seems to be out of sight for quite a while now.


The gun remark caught my attention also because no mention of one was in the article. Of course, if a gun was found, it doesn't mean it's related to the events surrounding the demise of the person found.

[TigressPen]

Lead Surfaces in Body Search

Webster Parish News
Thursday, 03 July 2008


Minden authorities have released the name of a “person of interest” in connection to the decomposing corpse discovered June 18 in the Mile Creek watershed.

Minden detectives are searching for Darryll Wright, 39, a resident of Minden, in order to rule him out as the possible victim.

“We aren’t saying Mr. Wright is or isn’t this person,” said Minden Police Chief T.C. Bloxom. “We just need him to contact us so that we can rule him out.”


Following the discovery of the body, Minden detectives assembled a list of approximately 30 nomadic individuals. Since that time, all but Wright has been accounted for.


Interest in Wright was compounded by the fact that he was last seen in the area where the body was discovered.


At 10:42 p.m. on May 25, a Louisiana State Police trooper observed a driver of a vehicle conduct a traffic violation while traveling on West Street. The trooper initiated a traffic stop, with the vehicle coming to a halt near the West Street/Shreveport Road junction.


The trooper approached the vehicle, at which time the driver, identified as Wright, stepped out of the car. Upon seeing additional occupants in the vehicle, the trooper walked back to his cruiser to call for backup.


“When the trooper leaned in to his vehicle to call for backup, Wright took off running down West Street and turned onto Shreveport Road,” said Minden Detective Dan Weaver. “Wright took a left and headed north along the railroad tracks. Wright has not been seen since that night.”


Prior to the start of this investigation, Wright had not been reported missing by his roommate or family. However, authorities have since issued a missing persons report.


“It was not uncommon for him to not show up for three or four days, but for him to be missing for this long is uncommon,” said Bloxom.


Detectives have been in contact with Wright’s family, his roommate, the two individuals he was traveling with on the night of the traffic stop and other friends, but no one has seen him since May 25.


On the night of the traffic stop, the vehicle Wright was driving was towed and impounded. The only personal items found inside the car were a pair of flip-flops. According to Wright’s roommate, on the night in question, Wright left his home wearing only a pair of shorts and flip-flops. According to the trooper, Wright was barefooted when he fled the scene of the traffic stop.


On Wednesday, members of the Shreveport Fire Department K-9 Unit Search and Rescue Task Force again searched both north and south of the location where the body was discovered. During the search, cadaver dogs alerted on a deep pool located approximately 300 yards north of Shreveport Road.


In that same area, a highly visible trail leads from the tracks to a bluff overlooking the pool. On Wednesday, high grass at the end of the trail prevented one from seeing an approximate 20-foot drop to the water below. Two old, metal rails from a former train track protrude from the bank, which would make a fall from that location even more treacherous.
City crews dammed and drained the approximate 10-foot deep pool; however, no remains or other items of interest were discovered.


“We feel the body washed downstream from the area where Wright was last seen,” said Bloxom.


Detectives have collected various items from Wright’s home, including a toothbrush and baseball cap, which have been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for DNA testing. If DNA can be obtained, it will be compared to the DNA of the remains found in the creek. Results are expected within three weeks.


“If the remains are Mr. Wright, we don’t expect foul play,” said Bloxom. “The pathologist indicated that there was no trauma to the bones. We received heavy rains on June 9 and 10. The water level in the creek rose 15 feet from its current stage and we believe the rushing current is what caused the decomposing body to dismember.”


The body of the deceased was discovered June 18 by three youngsters who were fishing in the area.


The children initially discovered a leg and foot floating along the bank of the creek approximately 300 yards from the Shreveport Road bridge. Authorities were contacted and a subsequent search of the stream revealed a larger portion of the badly decomposed body upstream, draped across an elevated pipeline 24 yards south of the Shreveport Road bridge.
Since that time, approximately 20 cadaver dogs have searched both north and south of the bridge. One search revealed several articles of clothing, but they were not linked to the deceased. Another search resulted in the discovery of a piece of flesh. The recovered flesh was also sent to the crime lab for comparison.


On more than one occasion, city work crews have been brought in to dam up and drain deep pools of water along the creek to allow for a more thorough search.


“We want to express our sincere appreciation to the Four States Search and Rescue Team, the Shreveport Fire Department K-9 Unit Search and Rescue Task Force, the Minden Fire Department and Minden’s street and water departments for their assistance during our search of the area,” said Bloxom. “We especially thank the Webster Parish Coroner’s Office for their cooperation in this investigation.”


Bloxom concluded by saying detectives have exhausted all efforts to find the missing remains of the deceased, namely the head.


“We’ve tried everything,” said Bloxom. “Now we just have to wait on the DNA.”


Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Darryll Wright is asked to contact the Minden Police Department at 371-4226. Wright is described as a black male, six foot tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds.


http://www.nwlanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9210&Itemid=57


picture with article

[packy]

It sure does appear that it could be him. What a shame that the conditions near that pool were such that someone could unknowingly go into the grass and fall.

Thank you for the update, Tigress.

[Nut44x4]

Just wanted to post the photo so it can be seen...

[Nut44x4]

Police ID human remains found in ditch as Darryl Wright
2008 10:28 PM EDT
MINDEN, LA (KSLA) - A body found in a Minden ditch back in June has been identified.

Minden Police have confirmed the remains are those of 40-year-old Darryl Wright.

Some children fishing in the ditch found the body parts and called police.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=8610350