Mystery solved: Schneider had talked about walking into woods to die, says sister

Family members of the man who died in a wooded area on the outskirts of Bogalusa last month remember Terry Schneider as a friendly person who suffered from a slew of health issues.

Schneider’s body was discovered in the woods behind Paul’s Seafood Deli on Sullivan Drive on Aug. 7 after a dog appeared with a hand that had decomposed from the body.

Investigators had reported that Schneider was from Jefferson Parish, but he was actually from St. Bernard Parish, said his sister, Judy Ferris.

“He was a good person,” Ferris said. “He had a lot of health issues.”

A friend drove Schneider to LSU Bogalusa Medical Center from his home in Hopedale on June 24 or 25 due to a case of severe cellulitis, Ferris said.

“He found out that his leg had to be amputated,” she said.

Schneider had suffered from the condition for more than a year, and had been in and out of hospitals because of it, Ferris said.

He also suffered from Hepatitis C and had eye cancer when he was toddler — forcing his right eye to be removed and replaced with a glass eye, Ferris said.

Schneider left LSU BMC on June 30 against doctors' orders and without having his leg amputated. He wandered the Bogalusa area at least a few days before he died, family members said.

Family and friends have been worrying about Schneider since his disappearance. Ferris said her brother may have purposefully stayed away from home to not be burden on family and friends, and then chose to die alone.

“He always talked about going in the woods and letting himself go,” Ferris said. “I just wished to God he hadn’t done that.”

Family members actually came to Bogalusa twice in July, filing a missing persons report with Bogalusa Police Department in the middle of the month and asking area residents if they had seen Schneider, Ferris said. But no sign of Schneider was discovered until Korean-speaking workers at Paul’s Seafood Deli reportedly saw a dog carrying a human hand in late July. It still took days after that for investigators to find the body due to communication problems.

Family members are planning to cremate Schneider’s remains and hold a funeral service in Hopedale, Ferris said.

Schneider, a bachelor, worked as a shrimper, painter and did other odd jobs during his life, but was unemployed at the time of his death due to health issues, Ferris said.

It’s unclear if Schneider was 48 or 49 at the time of his death, but his sister said she believes he did make it to the latter.

“His birthday was July 5. I think he made that,” Ferris said.