ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY)-Authorities in St. Martin Parish are investigating the death of Willard "Bill" Daspit Jr., whose remains were recently identified after being found on Banker Road last year.

The LSU FACES Laboratory confirmed the remains belonged to Daspit, a St. Martinville man who was last seen in September 2023.

Ginny Higgins, Public Information's Officer with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office, said deputies are now working to determine what could have led up to Daspit's death.

"It takes a very long time, they take them in order as they should, because everybody of course is wanting their information and their things processed," said Higgins.

Daspit was last seen riding his bike. During the initial search for Daspit, his bike, glasses, and helmet were found, but there was no sign of him.

Detectives are now focused on determining the cause of death, which may involve additional forensic testing.

"Once they're able or if they're able to determine a cause of death, it will determine future action," said Higgins.

Authorities are asking anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward, as even minor details could help investigators piece together what happened.

"Sometimes people may have just a little bit of information that may help with the investigation and anything that is they may think, but it may be something that can tie something else together," said Higgins.

Anyone who has any information involving this case is asked to call St. Martin Parish Sheriff's office at 337-394-3071.

The family of Willard "Bill" Daspit Jr. has created a GoFundMe to pay for burial and funeral expenses.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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