The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) seeks the public’s help in identifying a person of interest in the case connected with the death of a baton rouge therapist discovered along a Louisiana highway.
Deputies responded to an alert of a “suspicious, rolled-up tarp” on the side of Highway 51 between Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa around 8 a.m. on Sept 29, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office.
The body of 69-year-old William Nicholas Abraham of Baton Rouge was found wrapped inside a tarp. The local coroner’s office said Abraham’s death was caused by blunt force trauma and was ruled a homicide.
On Oct.1, the sheriff’s office released store surveillance captured images of the person of interest and stated detectives believe the man is the last person known to have been driving Abraham’s vehicle.
The TPSO said the vehicle was discovered Monday afternoon by Baton Rouge Police when the driver sped away from a traffic stop. At some point, the driver crashed the vehicle and ran from the scene, authorities said.
The person’s identity was not immediately released.
According to his webpage biography, Abraham was a life coach and licensed counselor who practiced for over 30 years and owned an office located near the neighborhood of Mid City South in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“With more than 30 years’ experience in treating substance abuse, depression and anxiety, he provides psychotherapy, guidance and psycho-education to couples, individuals, adolescents and families. He also offers group counseling and speaks to many groups and conferences yearly,” the bio reads.
During his career, Abraham published multiple books, the most recent of which is “I’m Limping Very Well, Thank You.” He was previously featured on WBRZ-TV’s “Weekends with Whitney” talking about motivational and psycho-educational issues.
Former Louisiana Public Broadcasting anchor, Michael Andre Moreau, shared a post on Facebook remembering Abraham.
“Through a series of phone calls among true friends today, came the news we all could not bear to hear, or believe ! That a good man was taken from us,” he wrote in part. “I remember his light. It’s unmistakable and it remains.”
Anyone with information on the person seen in the images or this case is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Office at 985-902-2008 or Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3 Tips icon or Submit A Tip!