The human remains found in 2024 in St. Martin Parish have been identified as a missing Coteau Holmes man.
Sheriff Becket Breaux announces that on the evening of December 29, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident regarding possible human remains located in a wooded area off of Banker Road in St. Martinville. Upon arrival, deputies verified the findings as human remains, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office.
The remains were sent to LSU Faces Laboratory to determine the identity of the dead person. St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office Investigators received notification this week that the remains were identified as missing Coteau Holmes man, Willard Daspit, Jr.
He was last seen by family members on September 10, 2023, and was reported missing to the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office on September 11, 2023. An extensive search was conducted following his disappearance.
A cause of death has not yet been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing.
