NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Residents in this 9th Ward neighborhood say a gruesome discovery was made at a house near them on Tuesday morning.
One neighbor claims that shortly before noon on January 11, police found a dismembered body inside of a bus on the property.
Following this breaking news, the NOPD did release some information, saying an investigation is ongoing in the Florida area neighborhood. New Orleans Police are investigating what they are calling an “unclassified death.”
According to the Public Information Officer for the New Orleans Police Department, a search warrant was executed at a home in the Florida Area neighborhood on Tuesday morning.
The search warrant pertained to a missing person’s report that was filed on December 23.
On January 8, 2022, WGNO was contacted by a concerned spouse claiming their estranged wife had been missing since December in this same location. The spouse contacted NOPD for a welfare check on December 23. According to the spouse, the NOPD determined that she was missing.
The remains have not been identified, so it cannot be confirmed whether the remains belong to the missing person.
In the meantime, one person, 34-year-old Benjamin Beale, was arrested at the home. Beale refused to talk to investigators. He is facing a charge of obstruction of justice in a death investigation, as well as several weapons and drug charges.
This is a developing situation. WGNO will provide more information as it becomes available.