QB RATTLER’S PLAY A SILVER LINING FOR SAINTS 1C
N O L A.C O M
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T u e s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 9, 2025
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Police: Boy lacked proper supervision N.O. mother arrested after son found dead
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
The mother of a nonverbal New Orleans boy who was found dead in a lagoon last month after a desperate 12-day search appeared in a New Orleans courtroom on Monday to face allegations of deadly
negligence, as court records revealed new details behind her weekend arrest. According to police, the short life of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez was defined by failed parenting and physical abuse at the hands of Hilda Vasquez, with his grisly death a tragic consequence.
The boy had left his home in New Orleans East in only a diaper that he would soon shed, sparking a search that ended Aug. 26 when his body turned up amid alligators. Vasquez, 34, appeared in shackles and jail scrubs in Magistrate Court, saying through a Spanish language interpreter that she
would hire a private attorney to face felony counts of seconddegree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide. Both carry a maximum 10-year sentence upon conviction. She has not yet been charged. The attorney, Cinthia Padilla, confirmed that she plans to represent Vasquez but declined to comment, saying it was premature. In a police affidavit supporting
Vasquez’s arrest, New Orleans Police Department Officer Mario Bravo, of the Special Victims Division, wrote that Vasquez had left the boy and his 11-year-old sister home alone the morning of his Aug. 14 disappearance, as she took a younger child to school. She’d “elected not to bring Bryan or his sister to school,” having
ä See BOY, page 4A
ELECTION 2025
Clergy abuse attorneys support revised deal
NEW ORLEANS MAyOR
Candidates agree tackling housing a priority BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
Property insurance costs have homeowners on the brink of foreclosure. Lots slated for new rental housing sit empty as financing falls short. Renters suffer through poor conditions with little recourse. The picture is ä Duplessis stark in New Or- targets Moreno leans, a city once in TV ad. PAGE 1B ideal for people liv- ä Moreno ing on the cheap that has grown increas- scores ingly unaffordable endorsements. for many. PAGE 1B All three major Democratic candidates in the Oct. 11 mayoral election agree that housing affordability is one of their biggest priorities, especially as high housing costs have contributed to driving more than 28,400 people out
ä See HOUSING, page 4A
Outreach urged for carbon capture
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, center, walks with Suzie Zeringue, in-house counsel, and the Rev. Patrick Carr, vicar general, toward the Hale Boggs Federal Building on May 23 in New Orleans. Nearly a dozen attorneys who collectively represent more than 200 clergy sex abuse survivors in the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy have thrown their support behind a proposed settlement plan.
Agreement is key to resolving archdiocese bankruptcy case BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Nearly a dozen attorneys who collectively represent more than 200 clergy sex abuse survivors in the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy have thrown their support behind a proposed settlement plan, signaling the long-running case could come to a close by the end of the year. In court documents filed Monday, the group of survivors and their attorneys signed on to a revised settlement plan, which already has the support of the official court-appointed committee for all 650 abuse survivors and three of four church insurance companies. Under the terms of the settlement, the archdiocese would pay $230 million into a trust for survivors, funded, in part, by a guaranteed $50 million from the anticipated sale of Christopher Homes, a group of church-owned
apartment complexes for low-income seniors. Earlier versions of the plan included estimated proceeds from the apartment sale but no guaranteed amount. The plan also would entitle survivors to sue a fourth church insurer, Traveler’s, for additional compensation. The group of survivors and the 10 attorneys who signed on to the plan had been signaling opposition since it was filed in July and had in the past argued that the bankruptcy should be dismissed. In a recent filing, they alleged that Archbishop Gregory Aymond and his advisers had mismanaged the case since filing for Chapter 11 reorganization more than five years ago. In the court documents filed Monday, they agree to withdraw that lawsuit. Attorneys involved in the negotiations said Monday’s developments are a significant milestone in the case.
“It’s a huge step forward in finally getting justice for survivors,” said bankruptcy attorney Rick Kuebel, whose firm, Troutman Pepper, is cocounsel for the official survivors committee. “I’m glad we could get the other attorneys on board, supporting the plan.” The leaders of those other attorneys, Johnny Denenea, Soren Gisleson and Richard Trahan, did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Aymond said he remains “very hopeful and committed to bringing the bankruptcy to a conclusion that benefits the survivors of abuse.” “I know there remains much work to be done and I continue to hold this work in prayer,” he said. “I pray for the survivors of abuse every day and look forward to the opportunity to meet
ä See DEAL, page 7A
Opposition builds to growing industry BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
A top state official is urging carbon capture executives to make greater efforts at outreach to local leaders and the public, as increasing opposition threatens to derail an industry that Louisiana has sought to embrace. Growing opposition in rural Louisiana has included attempts to pass parishwide moratoriums on carbon capture and demands that residents or local governments be allowed to vote on whether to permit the technology, among other grassroots initiatives.
ä See OUTREACH, page 7A
WEATHER HIGH 87 LOW 76 PAGE 6B
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 28