Body pulled from waterway believed to be the man who jumped from Dularge Overpass

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet announced the recovery of a deceased body from a waterway near the Dularge Overpass, which is believed to be connected to recent reports of a subject jumping from the Dularge Overpass on Sunday, January 8^th.

On January 8^th, 2023, shortly after 7:00 am, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division responded to the area of the Dularge Overpass in response to reports of a person jumping from the bridge.  When units arrived, Deputies were able to make contact with several witnesses, who provided information of seeing someone jump from the bridge into the waterway below.  As Deputies investigated the incident further, they were able to locate evidence which led authorities to believe that someone did in fact jump from the overpass.

The TPSO then coordinated efforts in an attempt to provide aid to the person, though the initial assessment of the waterway did not reveal anyone being observed.  The TPSO Water Patrol Division immediately responded to the area, along with the Houma Police Department and additional First Responders from several agencies.  During the search for the person suspected of entering the waterway, Water Patrol Deputies requested assistance from the Unites States Coast Guard, who responded to the area via helicopter, to aid in the search.  TPSO Investigators attempted to identify the person responsible for jumping, and developed a possible identity, though were unable to positively confirm.  The search continued for several hours, which did not result in a recovery.  Authorities continued the search of the area for several days, which yielded negative results.

On Thursday, January 12, 2023, shortly before 8:30 am, the TPSO Water Patrol Division located the deceased remains of a male in the waterway in close proximity to the Dularge Overpass.  The body was recovered and removed from the waterway, and ultimately transported to the Terrebonne Parish Morgue, where a positive identity was made.  Investigators worked closely with the family of the deceased and have chosen to not release the identity of the person at this time, out of respect for the family.

Sheriff Tim Soignet would like to personally thank all of the First Responder agencies who responded, as well as the United States Coast Guard for their assistance in the investigation. Sheriff Soignet would like to extend a special thank you to the Houma Police Department, who worked very closely with our agency throughout the investigation.  Sheriff Soignet said, “This is an incredibly tragic incident, and my heart goes out the family and friends of the deceased.  Our agency is called to investigate similar cases from time to time, and they are always difficult to deal with for many reasons.  As always, we ask for patience and respect for everyone involved.”