After finding a decapitated head lying on the beach Saturday morning in Harrison County, Mississippi officials were able to positively confirm the identity of the female torso that washed up Thursday in neighboring Hancock County as belonging to 22-year-old Jaren Lockhart of New Orleans. Also found on Saturday were three pieces of Lockhart's legs, said Don Bass, chief deputy for the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.
According to New Orleans police, Lockhart was last seen by her boyfriend Tuesday about 8 p.m. at a Mid-City motel where the couple was living. He told police she was headed to a Bourbon Street club where she worked.
Before Lockhart's head was discovered, investigators were awaiting DNA evidence on the torso found earlier in Bay St. Louis for a positive identification. The torso had a stab wound to the back, Bass said -- probably the cause of death, though that has not been confirmed, he said.
Although the head had been in the water for an estimated three days, Bass said, it was easily identified as Lockhart's, in part because of tattoos on her neck.
Before Lockhart's head, along with some clothing, was found by police in Long Beach at midday Saturday, two pieces of leg were found in different locations Saturday morning in Pass Christian, also in Harrison County. The first piece was spotted by a fisher, who notified police and set in motion an extensive search on land and in the water, stretching across the two counties.
A third piece of leg was discovered later in the day floating in the water in the harbor at Pass Christian.
Altogether, Bass said, investigators have "one full leg and one half leg," minus the feet.
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The events that led to Lockhart's death, dismemberment and disposal, Bass said, are "inconceivable."
Based on Thursday's and Friday's high winds and high tides, he said, it appeared likely that the body parts floated in from somewhere to the west of Bay St. Louis.
Chip Price, the night clerk at the Capri Motel at 2424 Tulane Ave., said the couple had been staying at the motel for two or three months, and would pay $50 in cash each day.
About 7 p.m. every night, Price said, he would call a cab for Lockhart, who he said was working as a dancer in the French Quarter. Price, whose shift ends at midnight, said the couple kept to themselves, and the only thing he remembered about the boyfriend was that he spent his time hanging out with Lockhart. Police have not released the boyfriend's name.
An employee at Temptations strip club at 327 Bourbon said Lockhart worked the night shift from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The day her boyfriend reported Lockhart missing, Price said, he explained he could no longer pay for his room and moved his belongings to an acquaintance's room at the same motel. Price said he hasn't seen the boyfriend since then.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, police said Lockhart's boyfriend reported that he became concerned when he was unable to reach her and contacted police.
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The search for body parts will continue on the Mississippi coast, Bass said, depending on the tides and weather conditions. Pathologists and coroners in both counties are working together to piece together Lockhart's body, he said.
With more than 20 miles of beach in the two counties, Bass said, there is a lot of ground to cover. He said he was thankful that most of the body parts were found by search teams rather than children playing on the beach.
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