NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The body of a Southern University nursing student, who had been missing for weeks, has been pulled from Lake Pontchartrain.
Erica Jones confirmed to news agencies the body is that of her 21-year-old son, Marquise Jones, who was last seen Feb. 25 headed to Slidell for his uncle’s funeral.
New Orleans police spokesman Gary Sheets says the department is investigating an unclassified death involving an unidentified male found in the lake Thursday. Members of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Land, Air, and Sea Emergency Rescue Division found the body around 3:16 p.m.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says a boater spotted the body floating in the water when they were out crabbing.
Jones’ friends said he went to a house party Feb. 25 in New Orleans and left around 11:30 p.m., presumably to head back to Slidell. A week later on March 5, New Orleans police found his car parked in front of an abandoned apartment in New Orleans East. Police at the time said they were investigating the possibility of foul play.
Jones was studying nursing at Southern University. The school, on its Facebook page, posted a statement expressing sympathy “about the loss of our Jaguar, Marquise Jones.”
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