Burned Body Found in Louisiana Sugarcane Field

An investigation is underway after a body was found in a Louisiana sugarcane field on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, a sugarcane farmer discovered the body in his field.

The field where the body was found is located along Sid Richardson Road in Addis, which is just north of Plaquemine and inside West Baton Rouge Parish.

The farmer, Troy Canella, told WBRZ television station in Baton Rouge that he and his brother rushed out to try and control the flames. During that attempt, Canella stepped next to the body.

"I walked out and called him and said 'I know why the cane's on fire,'" Canella said.

He said he found the body in a ditch between two fields and it was also covered in broken pieces of sugarcane. Canella said he believes it could have been there for days.

Sgt. Landon Groger with the Sheriff's Office said that foul play is suspected in the death and that the body was found in a burning field.

“We received a 911 call from a local cane farmer who discovered that his field had been set on fire as well as they located a body in that field...and we are treating it as a homicide investigation," Groger said.

Officials have not released if the victim is a man or a woman as the body was burned beyond recognition.

The investigation is being treated as a homicide and it is ongoing. We will update this story as new information becomes available.