Essence Peters, 24, was found dead on June 28, 2025, buried in the backyard of a residence in New Orleans’ St. Roch neighborhood. Officers recovered human remains after the victim’s boyfriend, 24-year-old Benjamin J. Camp, contacted police and admitted he had shot his girlfriend and buried her behind the house on Marigny Street. Investigators determined Peters had been shot eight times and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Peters’ mother, Na’Keshia Ruiz, had last spoken with her daughter on FaceTime the Wednesday before the discovery and planned to braid her hair. When calls went unanswered the next day, texts from Peters’ Facebook account continued but were later determined to have been sent by Camp. Ruiz said Peters had never reported violence in the relationship, though an argument a couple of weeks earlier had prompted Peters to move out temporarily.

Camp was arrested and booked into the Orleans Justice Center on a charge of second-degree murder and an obstruction of justice charge; bond was set at $1.2 million. Does anyone in the St. Roch or Marigny Street area have information about Peters, her movements in June 2025, or the dispute mentioned by her family?