SLIDELL, La. — Human remains that were discovered near I-10 in Slidell Tuesday are believed to belong to that of a man who disappeared in December 2017.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies were dispatched around 10:15 a.m. to an area near I-10 between Gause Blvd and the I-10/I-12/I-59 split after getting a call of a badly decomposed body located under an interstate bridge.
Investigators say Louisiana DOTD workers were clearing debris from the roadway when they found the remains and called 911.
The remains were turned over to the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office for identification, however Slidell Police believe the remains belong to Tony "Tiger" Bennett. Bennett was last seen at Motel 6 in Slidell on Dec. 13 2017, which is in the vicinity of the same area where the remains were found.
Certain property found near the remains led detectives to believe the remains belonged to Bennett, however DNA tests are being conducted in order to positively identify the remains.
The sheriff's office said there were no immediate signs showing foul play. The investigation continues.
Tuesday, a tanker truck overturned near the I-10/I-12/I-59 split, which closed parts of the interstate as crews worked to remove the truck. STPSO said that the discovery of the remains was not connected with the truck crash.
"These were two separate incidents that appeared to be somewhat in proximity to one another," Captain Scott Lee said.
Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.
