A THERAPIST has been ruthlessly beaten to death, and a mad search has been launched for a person of interest seen driving his stolen car.
Louisiana police are searching for clues to explain the heartless killing of 69-year-old former priest William Nicholas Abraham.
The body of therapist William Abraham, 69, was found on the side of a Louisiana highway on Sunday[/caption]
Abraham was violently beaten to death, and his body was wrapped in a tarp, cops said[/caption]
Police released images of a man they say stole Abraham’s car and crashed it before running away[/caption]
Abraham’s body was found wrapped in a tarp and thrown on the side of Highway 51 outside the Village of Tangipahoa, an hour east of Baton Rouge, on Sunday.
On Monday afternoon, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office officials found someone driving Abraham’s stolen car and tried to stop him.
The driver sped through a traffic light and crashed the car before running away and escaping cops.
Police have released surveillance images of the driver and deemed him a person of interest.
However, they haven’t shared his name or any other details.
Sheriff Gerald Sticker said they’re exhausting all resources in the anxious search for answers.
“Right now, we have no inclination as to where this originated,” he told CBS affiliate WWL TV.
“We are exercising all of our avenues, whether it’s cell phone data or license plate recognition.”
FAMILY SPEAKS
Abraham served as a Catholic priest for 14 years in Baton Rouge before he started working as a therapist.
He regularly appeared on segments for a local news station where he gave advice on dealing with mental health issues.
In 2015, Abraham was arrested and accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old boy during a session, but those charges were later dropped.
Sheriff Sticker said they are aware of the prior arrest.
Abraham was one of eight children. His heartbroken siblings remember him as someone who always wanted to help others.
“He made a mark on people’s lives and helped them be better people,” Joseph Abraham told WWL TV.
“We’re all blinded by it, but we’ll get answers.”
Abraham’s other brother, Tommy, was left in shock that anyone would kill his beloved sibling.
“No one should take a life but God. No one,” he said.
“He’s the only one that can take a life and for someone to take someone else’s life, you’re a coward.”
