The daughter of a St. Martinville man has been arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice in connection with the death of Alfred Batiste.
St. Martinville Police Department Public Information Officer Adam Touchet said Wednesday that officers first made contact with Shonia Batiste, Alfred Batiste's daughter, on Sunday afternoon in the trailer where police found his body Monday evening.
When officers asked Shonia repeatedly where her father was, she would respond that he was "on vacation visiting relatives in Texas."
Touchet said several witnesses in the area told police they heard Batiste's body was hidden under a pile of clothes in the bedroom of the trailer.
Police removed Shonia Batiste from the trailer on Monday through an evacuation order. Once the back bedroom was clear, officers found Alfred Batiste's body under a pile of clothes and a comforter.
Batiste was charged with Obstruction of Justice and booked into the St. Martin Parish Jail on Monday.
An autopsy was performed on Batiste on the morning of Wednesday, March 11. The cause of death is still undetermined at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
Alfred Batiste was reported missing on March 8, but police believe he might have been missing as long as three weeks before his body was found.
READ MORE: St. Martinville man's body found in home
