78°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

'I can't understand why:' Family calling for answers after loved one found dead behind BR business

2 hours 40 minutes 14 seconds ago Tuesday, September 23 2025 Sep 23, 2025 September 23, 2025 9:46 PM September 23, 2025 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - The family of the man found dead behind a business on Scenic Highway last Friday is calling his death suspicious and asking the public for help locating his killer.

On Sept. 19, BRPD officers responded to a suspicious incident call behind the Triangle Market on Scenic Highway. There, they found a car running with no one inside. Later that day, they found the body of 25-year-old James Critley, reporting he had been shot and believed to have been in a fight before the shooting.

BRPD said it has yet to be determined whether Critney was targeted or if it was a random attack.

"This is a little bit different than most of the homicides that we respond to in the city because again our uniformed patrol officers responded to what was a suspicious incident. Vehicle parked in a parking lot, still running, no one inside. Unfortunately, they found Mr. Critney deceased," Cpl. Saundra Watts with BRPD's Public Information Office said.

His sister, Melanie Critley, said the family does not believe anyone would purposefully target James Critley.

"I don't see the reason why. Why would you target him? He wasn't into nothing," she said.

She added the car found belonged to Critney's fathers and nothing was taken from inside the vehicle. Melanie Critley said he lived in her neighborhood in the Gardere area and had no idea why he would have been at the business on Scenic Highway.

"My brother, honestly, really, didn't deserve it. If it was a little scuffle, you know? I'm pretty sure y'all could have gotten over it. I don't expect the least out of Baton Rouge. I just hate how he was taken from me," she said. "I can't get my words together. That's how bad it sucks because I can't understand why."

The family is raising funds to cover funeral costs. The GoFundMe can be found here.

BRPD asks anyone with information to contact the Homicide Division at 225-389-4869 or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days