A missing person case has turned into a homicide investigation after the remains of 43-year-old James Wood were discovered near his home along River Road in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. While the remains were found in September 2025, it wasn’t until this week that DNA results confirmed the remains were those of James Wood.
The Discovery and Identification
The remains were found near Wood’s home in Ponchatoula, but the identification process took several months. Nadine Wood, James’ mother of his children, shared the emotional toll the past nine months have taken on her family. “It was really sad, and stressful not knowing where he was or what happened,” she said. She added that they had suspected something bad had happened to him from the start.
Homicide Confirmation and Family’s Frustration
James Wood’s death has now been ruled a homicide, and his family is calling for justice. Nadine Wood believes that the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office should have treated the case as a homicide from the beginning, especially after investigators discovered gunshot wounds on the remains. “It should have been treated like this from the very beginning,” she said. “I don’t understand why it’s just now they’re saying it’s a homicide.”
Ongoing Investigation
As of now, no arrests have been made in the case, but the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office continues to search for the person responsible for James Wood’s death. Sheriff Gerald Sticker emphasized the importance of community involvement, stating, “We’re looking for suspects, and I think someone out there knows an individual that maybe James had a problem with.”
Call for Public Help
The Wood family is pleading for anyone with information to come forward to help them find closure. “I would like to know why,” Nadine Wood said, urging anyone with knowledge of the crime to come forward. “Put yourself in our place. If it was your own family, or even if it wasn’t your own family, someone out there murdered him. And that person is still out there.”
Sheriff Sticker encourages anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa by calling 1-800-554-5245 .
