National Guardsman found dead in Department of Safety parking lot after Hurricane Ida in Baton Rouge

Louisiana National Guardsman is found dead in state government parking lot as cops launch investigation into cause of death

  • The solder was found dead in the parking lot of a large state complex Friday
  • The complex is home to the Department of Safety, the state police and the DMV
  • The soldier’s identity has not been released while their family is notified
  • Hurricane Ida pummeled Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday
  • The Louisiana National Guard has been assisting with recovery and relief efforts 
  • More than 800,000 people remain without power throughout the state 
  • The storm killed at least six people in Gulf Coast states before spinning north 


A Louisiana National Guard soldier has been found dead in the parking lot of a state government complex.

The soldier’s body was discovered outside the Department of Public Safety offices in Baton Rouge on Friday. Officials have not released his or her name as they wait to notify the family, National Guard spokeswoman Maj. Noel Collins told DailyMail.com. 

The cause of the death has not yet been released but is under investigation by the Louisiana State Police.

The Louisiana National Guard has been active throughout the state this week, airlifting people to the hospital over flooded roads, clearing streets of debris and distributing food and water to residents trapped with no electricity. 

National guardsmen have been active in Louisiana helping people after Hurricane Ida (victim not pictured)

National guardsmen have been active in Louisiana helping people after Hurricane Ida (victim not pictured) 

The soldier was found in a government complex that houses the Department of Public Safety

The soldier was found in a government complex that houses the Department of Public Safety

The parking lot where the soldier was found is part of a large complex in the state’s capital that houses state police, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the state DMV.

It is unclear what the soldier was doing at the complex at the time. 

More than 800,000 people remained without power in Louisiana as of Friday night, according to tracker PowerOutage.US. Most of the customers without electricity are along the coast, which was battered when Hurricane Ida rode in as a Category 4 hurricane over the weekend.

The Category 4 hurricane stormed the state Sunday and left close to a million without power

Above, members of the Louisiana National Guard work a search and rescue mission in Jean Laffite, Louisiana on August 30

Above, members of the Louisiana National Guard work a search and rescue mission in Jean Laffite, Louisiana on August 30

About 9,000 people are without power in Mississippi. 

The storm killed six people in the Gulf Coast states, including two Alabama  electrical workers who were repairing power grid damage caused by the storm, according to NBC News.

The storm became even deadlier as it slammed the Northeast later in the week, flooding subway tracks in New York City and killing at least 17 people in the state of New York and 25 people in New Jersey, according to the Wall Street Journal.

President Joe Biden toured the wreckage in Louisiana and comforted families on Friday. 

Biden blasted insurance companies for denying living assistance coverage for those who didn’t fall under the mandatory evacuation order.

‘Insurance companies are saying no, no, no, we won’t pay you what we owe. Well we’re putting as much pressure as we can,’ the president said.

‘No one fled this killer storm because they were looking for a vacation or a road trip,’ he noted.

He argued even though evacuation orders were voluntary, people felt safer leaving.

‘So, folks, they left their home because … they felt that they had to flee the risk of death. There’s nothing voluntary about that. And so I’m calling on private insurance companies – don’t hide behind the fine print and technicality; pay what you owe your customers; cover temporary housing costs,’ he said.

source: dailymail.co.uk