BATON ROUGE — The search for 15-year-old Ja'Derrius Minnieweather's body has finally begun on Monday after it was discovered over two weeks ago that his body was in the Baton Rouge landfill, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Minnieweather disappeared from the "Ghosttown" area of Baton Rouge over a month ago, with his family, law enforcement and the United Cajun Navy having searched through wooded areas and near waterways before learning of his body's location.

Two weeks after Minneweather was reported missing, Baton Rouge police arrested 51-year-old Maurice Parms, charging him with first-degree murder in connection with Minneweather's death.

Following Parms' arrest, Mayor-President Sid Edwards and BRPD announced that evidence led them to believe Minnieweather's body may be located in the north landfill. 

Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse told reporters at Press Club on Monday, a combination of witness statements, surveillance video and anonymous tips allowed investigators to connect Parms to Minnieweather's death. From there, Morse said detectives tracked the waste management truck believed to have transported Minnieweather's body to the landfill.

WBRZ spoke with George Schiro, a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator, about search challenges related to weather. He said rainfall combined with heat means investigators must take additional caution when looking for remains.

“It’s also going to cause almost like a climate change in the landfill itself because the more heat and humidity that occurs, the more decomposition, the more breakdown of the materials that are there, especially organic materials. So again, there’s going to be a lot of challenges with this crime scene,” Schiro said. "It's almost like conducting a crime scene investigation on another planet.

Baton Rouge Fire Chief Michael Kimble likened the process of searching for Minnieweather in the landfill to officials searching for any identifying details when the Twin Towers collapsed.

Investigators in the area will be in full, insulated suits with respiratory protection. The FBI will also join the Baton Rouge Fire Department in assisting the search.

While the Baton Rouge City North Landfill receives 1,600 tons of solid waste each day and sits on over 400 acres, police say they have narrowed their search area down to a half-acre and have halted any new garbage dumping in that area.