Arrest Made In Connection With Death Of Black Louisiana Teen, But Family Suspects It Was Racially Motivated
A woman has been arrested in connection with the disappearance and death of a 15-year-old Louisiana teenager whose body was discovered days after he turned up missing.
Janet Irvin, 37, was taken into custody by authorities and charged with felony failure to report that Quawan “Bobby” Charles had disappeared and contributed to juvenile delinquency, Iberia Parish, La., Sheriff Tommy Romero said in a press release.
Charles was reported missing Oct. 30, 2020, and his family filed a missing persons report that day in Baldwin, La. But his body was found unclothed and submerged in a drainage ditch in a wooded area about 20 miles away on Nov. 3 near Loreauville, La. According to Yahoo News, two autopsies were conducted, one for the family and another for the Iberia Parish Coroner’s Office. It found small amounts of alcohol and THC, the active compound in marijuana, in his blood.
"Reportedly he had been at a residence where drugs were consumed including possible marijuana (THC) and psilocybin mushrooms,” read the coroner’s autopsy report, which did not specifically say Charles was taking the psychedelic. “Reportedly after smoking a substance the decedent passed out and when he awoke he became combative. Reportedly he said he was ‘going to kill himself’.”
RELATED: Independent Autopsy Confirms Quawan Charles Died By Drowning
Since Charles’ body was found, the family believes his death was not an accidental drowning as a preliminary autopsy suggested, but could have been racially motivated and that law enforcement did not act fast enough.
“The only rational, glaringly obvious conclusion is that there was foul play at work here, and there has long been enough evidence to arrest Janet Irvin for her involvement in the tragic death of Quawan Charles,” said a statement from the family’s legal team.
The tests did not detect psilocybin. The report says, but the family’s autopsy is not yet complete and attorney Ron Haley said its toxicology report had the same findings of drugs, and alcohol. The coroner’s office report also said a witness described seeing Charles crawling in a drain tunnel behind a school and that surveillance video showed him alone, not far from where his body was found.
Irvin was arrested in nearby Lafayette Parish, and no bond was set for her. Officials with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office say more arrests may follow.
“I’m confident that my office has put together an extremely strong case against Mrs. Irvin,” Romero said. “Immediately following the arrest, I personally spoke with the parents of Quawan Charles. I hope this arrest begins to help their family heal and by no means is this case closed.”
It is unclear if Irvin has retained a defense attorney to speak for her or if she's been assigned legal counsel.