Cadence Manuel

Cadence Manuel was a gifted 19-year-old woman deeply immersed in the world of music. A talented composer, one of her known pieces was titled "To Know the Sea." Her passion for music extended to helping others, as she was a staff member for the Young Musicians Program at The Walden School, a respected summer music festival and school based in Dublin, New Hampshire. Her role there placed her in a community dedicated to fostering creativity and developing the next generation of composers and performers, a mission that seemed to align with her own artistic pursuits.

The promise of her creative life was tragically extinguished in the dark, early hours of Sunday, November 8, 2026. At around 3:42 a.m., a call reporting a shooting sent New Orleans Police Department officers to the 7000 block of Ridgefield Drive. The call shattered the quiet of the Little Woods neighborhood in New Orleans East, a residential area of predominantly single-family homes situated near the I-10 Service Road.

Upon arrival, officers made a grim discovery in the backyard of a home. They found Cadence Manuel suffering from at least one gunshot wound. According to one report, the home was her own. Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene, but her injuries proved fatal. Cadence was pronounced dead where she was found.

The New Orleans Police Department’s Seventh District immediately launched a homicide investigation. Investigators began the process of collecting evidence and searching for information that might lead them to the person or people responsible. Two days later, on Tuesday, the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office officially identified Cadence Manuel and confirmed that the cause of her death was a gunshot wound, ruling it a homicide.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the NOPD stated that they had not identified any suspects or determined a motive for the killing. They canvassed the area for evidence and potential witnesses, but no further details about the circumstances leading to her death were released to the public. The investigation into who killed Cadence and why fell silent.

As of November 2026, no arrests have been made in connection with Cadence Manuel's murder, and no persons of interest have been publicly named. The case remains unsolved, leaving her family, friends, and the musical communities she was part of without answers or justice. There have been no public announcements regarding memorials, vigils, or fundraisers in her name following her death. The silence from investigators is a stark contrast to the vibrant, creative life Cadence lived.

The New Orleans Police Department asks that anyone with information that could assist in the investigation contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.