NEW ORLEANS — Demietriek Scott, a well known local chef with a penchant for barbecue, returned to his family Monday afternoon, hours after he had been reported missing and at least one family member said that he had been identified as the person found dead in the Desire area Monday morning.
"Life kicked in, life caved in," said Scott. "I just needed time for me to sit around and think."
Scott said that he had been in New Orleans the entire time but needed some time to himself. His family had grown worried because no one had been in contact with him since May 31 and his food trailer had been left unattended for days. He also missed a major festival over the weekend where he was scheduled to cook.
Early Monday a body was found in an industrial area in the Desire neighborhood Monday morning. A short time later, following reports on several media outlets, his daughter told Eyewitness News that the body found Monday was his.
However, the coroner's office said an official report was pending analysis of evidence, including fingerprints.
"Tears were shed," said Rayshone Emmanuel, Scott's cousin after he returned. "They were tears of joy. A load has been lifted. I can breathe again."
"Thank you everybody," said Scott. "I appreciate the love. I appreciate the thoughts and prayers. I didn't think you all cared that much - just being real."
Other family members said that they weren't sure of Scott's fate, but only knew that his missing a major event this past weekend, the fact that no one had talked to him since late May and the fact that he had left food unattended in his trailer for an extended period of time, led them to be extremely concerned.
Scott was supposed to be a vendor at this weekend’s Zydeco Fest, but event organizers told the family he didn’t confirm and didn’t show.
Scott, 47, appeared on the Eyewitness Morning News in April as part of a cooking demonstration and had also previously been on the show to cook.
According to the New Orleans Agenda, Scott grew up in Lutcher and began barbecuing in New Orleans about 10 years ago.
He has a line of sauces for barbecued meats.
Scott’s LinkedIn profile says he was the executive chef at NOLA Foods and the owner of New Orleans Fine Catering.
