Human Remains Found at Lafayette La Quinta Inn Site

LAFAYETTE, La. — Lafayette police are investigating after a construction crew found human remains Thursday evening while demolishing the former La Quinta Inn on the Northeast Evangeline Thruway.

The Lafayette Police Department responded to the site at 2100 NE Evangeline Thruway at approximately 6:08 p.m. Officers located the body of a severely decomposed male. Investigators believe the demolition work did not cause the man’s death. The identity of the deceased has not been determined, and the cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending an autopsy by the Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office.

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A Site With a History of Sheltering the Unhoused

Before demolition crews arrived, the vacant hotel served as a living space for unhoused people in the area, police said. It sat empty for nearly two years and drew repeated concerns from Lafayette Consolidated Government over trespassing and safety before officials condemned the property in January.

The building was also the site of a fire in November 2025 that killed Levi Sahn, a 28-year-old man who had been living in Lafayette for about eight months. Firefighters found Sahn in a second-floor room where the fire started, officials said. Homeless individuals were staying in several other rooms at the time.

Why the Building Came Down

Lafayette Consolidated Government began tearing down the hotel in mid-August as part of a broader push under Mayor-President Monique Boulet to clear blighted properties across the parish. LCG revised its condemnation and demolition ordinance in 2025 and set up a new Adjudication Bureau process to move cases faster, cutting into a backlog of roughly 1,200 abandoned and dangerous property cases dating back to 2016.

What Happens Next

The investigation remains active. The Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office will need to complete an autopsy before releasing the man’s identity or a cause of death. Lafayette police have not said whether they suspect foul play.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Crime Stoppers at (337) 232-TIPS.

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