The body of a Louisiana woman linked to a minivan abandoned in south Fulton County was found Monday in a New Orleans waterway, authorities said.
Lakeitha Joseph’s body was pulled from the Intracoastal Waterway by a boater, authorities said.
Joseph, 29, and her husband, Kenneth Joseph were reported missing last month from their home in Reserve, La., a New Orleans suburb, authorities said.
Kenneth Joseph, 34, remains missing, and investigators from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said they are following any leads to find him. On Friday, authorities will search for Kenneth in the same area where Lakeitha’s body was found, according to The Times-Picayune newspaper.
While the Orleans Parish coroner has not classified Lakeitha Joseph’s death, foul play has not be ruled out and authorities are investigating the case as a homicide, authorities said. Lakeitha Joseph’s body had been in the water for at least two weeks, the newspaper reported.
Investigators are trying to determine how the 2010 Dodge Caravan the couple was last seen driving ended up in the parking lot of the Townhomes of Pleasant Hill, near College Park, some 500 miles from where the couple reportedly was last seen with it.
It was reported abandoned on Feb. 27, Fulton County Police Detective Melissa Parker said.
“That was the only thing we had … the van,” Parker said.
She said officers responding to the report to impound the vehicle discovered its connection to the missing couple when they traced the out-of-state license plate.
Investigators from St. John the Baptist Parish came to south Fulton to collect evidence from the vehicle, authorities said, but police declined to identify what, if anything, was found that could indicate what happened.
Family members in Louisiana told investigators that Kenneth Joseph often borrowed his sister’s vehicle, but typically returned it the same day.
When the couple took the van on the evening of Feb. 18 and didn’t return it the next day or return repeated phone calls from loved ones, the family became concerned and went to check on the husband and wife.
After arriving at the couple’s home, their parents found the house unlocked and ransacked, according to the Times-Picayune newspaper.
The couple’s parents called sheriff’s deputies, authorities said.
Kenneth Joseph is 5-feet-8-inches tall and weighs about 210 pounds, authorities said.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office tip line at 985-359-8477 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
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