The search for Joseph Lee Helaire Jr. has come to a tragic end. Deputies in St. Martin Parish found his body shortly after noon Wednesday. Fox News Louisiana’s Stephanie Cloy was there as friends and family received the news.

Tears streamed down the face of loved ones that afternoon as they heard the news that Joseph Lee Helaire’s body had been found. "He was one of my best friends, like a brother, we've been through a lot together," cried Harry Lee Thompson. A search crew made up of friends and family members had gathered at Poche Bridge to continue their search, that’s when word came from the sheriff’s department that Helaire had been found in a rural part of St. Martin Parish.

Searching turned to grieving as everyone gathered near Helaire’s grandmother’s home on West Patan Street. Those we talked to found the news of Helaire’s death hard to believe. "It still didn't hit us yet ya know? To say he's gone, we just seen him the other day smiling and now he's not with us," Requel Amest said. "It's a loss, a big loss that we lost in our community" added Brian Baltazar.
"Everytime I seen him he told me something that would benefit me, never told me nothing that would hurt me," cried Thompson.

Helaire’s mother, Dianne Glaude, hugs other family members as she leaves to identify his body. And just moments before, his father and step-father consoled each other in front of the same house, where friends say he was last seen. And there is one thing Helaire’s friends say they’ll miss the most. "He kept a smile on his face, he did whatever he wanted to do," Thompson said. "He was a good dude, always had a smile on his face. Neighborhood's just not going to be the same without him," explained Brandon Noel.

As loved ones find a way to deal with their loss, they’re hoping people remember Helaire not just as a murder victim, but as a person. "He was someone's brother, someone's friend, someone's something special. It's not just easy to just let go," said Amest.

Investigators still won’t say exactly where the body was found. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of Helaire’s death.