JENNINGS, La. (KLFY) – A homicide investigation has been launched by the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office after a “severely decomposed” body was found this morning in a canal near Jennings.

Deputy Chief Christopher Ivey said deputies received a call from a farmer around 8:15 a.m. who spotted a suspicious object floating in the West Bayou Grand Marais canal, near his irrigation pump.

The canal is located between I-10 and Aaron Road just north of Jennings. It is unclear at this time if foul play was involved.

Ivey said the body was “severely decomposed” upon discovery and today’s rain hindered his department’s recovery efforts.

Deputies called in a marine division and forensic investigative unit from the neighboring Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office to assist them in removing the body from the canal.

An autopsy will be performed on the body by the coroner’s office in Calcasieu Parish.

The case remains under investigation.