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METAIRIE, LA — Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of whoever killed a high school student in Washington Parish. The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office is adding an additional $2,500 to the reward, bringing the total to $5,000.

On Sunday, January 12, the body of 17-year-old JaQuarius Taylor was found in a wooded area near a pond on Wilbur Dillon Road in Angie. He’d been shot to death.

Earlier that morning, Taylor’s mother had reported him missing to the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“I ask all of our parish residents to keep this family in your prayers as they cope with the loss of their loved one,” Sheriff Randy Seal said in a social media post announcing the teenager’s murder.

WPSO brought in additional state and federal assistance with the case. A few days later, divers from the Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office recovered what’s being described as a significant piece of evidence from the pond near the spot where Taylor’s body was found.

Anyone with information that could lead detectives to whoever killed JaQuarius Taylor can call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or online at the Crimestoppers GNO website.

  • JaQuarius Taylor photo from Crimestoppers flyer
  • Crimestoppers reward flyer. The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office is offering an additional $2,500.
  • Photo of search of pond near crime scene provided by WPSO
  • Photo of search of pond near crime scene provided by WPSO