Follow Up Story Here

The New Orleans Coroner’s Office has identified the body of a man who was found dead on the side of the road on New Year’s Day as Josh Woodruff, a tourist to New Orleans.

According to the NOPD, a driver in a Sedan hit Woodruff near Dumaine and Decatur Streets in the French Quarter and then dragged him at least six miles all the way to the Westbank, leaving his body disfigured on the side of the road.

Woodruff was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and was visiting New Orleans for the New Year’s holiday. Woodruff was a Harvard University graduate who was currently working at a startup company in Los Angeles, California.

Woodruff’s friends and family have started a Facebook page in his honor to commemorate memories and the life of the young 28 year-old.

The death of Woodruff in the city drew national news attention and pin-points the massive crime problem in the city which many residents feel goes ignored by Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration.