HAMMOND, La. — Authorities are investigating the death of 69-year-old William Nicholas Abraham of Baton Rouge.
Autopsy results show that Abraham died from blunt force trauma before his body was found wrapped in a tarp next to Highway 51 in northern Tangipahoa Parish early Sunday morning.
Abraham is one of eight siblings. His brothers, Tommy and Joseph Abraham, said the family was in shock when they received the news.
“No one should take a life but God. No one," Tommy said, "He’s the only one that can take a life and for someone to take someone else’s life, you’re a coward.”
The family called him "Nicky" and said he was well-known in Baton Rouge. He used to appear weekly on WBRZ's "Weekends with Whitney."
Abraham was a Catholic priest for 14 years, serving in Mississippi and Milwaukee, before becoming a therapist, his brothers said.
“He made a mark on people’s lives and helped them be better people," Joseph said.
Now the family is left with memories and questions.
“Why? When? How? No. No. We’re all blinded by it, but we’ll get answers," Joseph said.
Law enforcement is still working to confirm a motive.
East Baton Rouge Parish court records show that Abraham was arrested in 2015. He was accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old boy during a therapy session.
However, the records show he was never charged. We reached out to the East Baton Rouge district attorney's office to learn why, but we did not hear back.
Tangipahoa Sheriff Gerald Sticker said he was aware of the prior arrest. His focus is on locating where Abraham died.
“Right now, we have no inclination as to where this originated," Sticker said, “We are exercising all of our avenues. Whether it's cell phone data or license plate recognition.”
Once detectives track down that key piece of information, they'll be closer to providing the family with answers.
“They found him and now we just got to get closure," Tommy said.
On Monday evening, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office released images of an individual detectives say was the last person seen driving the victim's vehicle in Baton Rouge.
According to TPSO detectives, Abraham's vehicle was found in Baton Rouge on Monday afternoon. The driver, who is the person of interest shown in the surveillance camera screenshots below, sped away from a traffic stop and ultimately fled after crashing the car.
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Sheriff Gerald Sticker encourages anyone with information about the person seen in these pictures to contact the Criminal Investigations Office at 985-902-2008.
To remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa at 1-800-888-5245.
