Family grieves man who died in Kenner tunnel collapse | Crime/Police

Ray Mitchell Jr. last spoke with his wife around noon Friday during a lunch break from his job digging a tunnel underneath a Kenner home to perform some plumbing repairs.

Despite the days spent in muddy trenches — this one 6 feet deep — Mitchell, 42, never expressed any nervousness, said Renada Banks. 

“He loved his job. He loved the people he worked with,” said Banks, 44, Mitchell’s wife. 

But, instead of hearing from Mitchell at the end of the work day, Banks said she received a call from a police officer notifying her that her husband had died when the tunnel he was excavating collapsed. 

“I can’t sleep at night knowing my husband died this way,” Banks said Monday. “All I can imagine is how he suffocated.”

Sudden collapse

According to authorities, Mitchell was part of a three-man crew digging a trench deep under the concrete slab of a house in the 3200 block of Kentucky Street to perform repairs to underground pipes for Peterson Plumbing.

The majority of houses in Jefferson Parish are built on concrete slabs, which means the plumbing is typically installed in the ground before the slab is poured. When repairs are needed, plumbers have to tunnel under the slab to reach the problem.  

Mitchell was under the house with one person standing at the entrance of the tunnel to monitor things and a third in a truck that was sucking the dirt and mud from the trench, according to Kenner Police Deputy Chief Mark McCormick. 

Mitchell was about 20 feet from the side of the residence when the tunnel collapsed about 3:45 p.m. Mitchell’s co-workers immediately set to work trying to free him. 

The Kenner Fire Department joined the rescue efforts, which took more than an hour of digging, according to Chief Terence Morris. Mitchell’s body was recovered about 5:15 p.m., and he was pronounced dead. 

An autopsy performed Monday determined Mitchell died of traumatic asphyxia, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office. 

A representative from Peterson Plumbing declined to comment when reached by telephone Monday. Banks said she’s spoken to officials from the company but still has many unanswered questions about what happened. 

“How did he end up in that hole with mud on him? Did he fall? Did something break?” she asked.

Big heart

Mitchell was born and raised in Hammond. He attended Hammond High School and played football, Banks said. 

The couple has known each other for about 12 years. They’ve been married for seven.

“He had a big heart. He was a loving person,” Banks said. 

While quiet and reserved around most, Banks had a huge personality that blossomed among family and friends. He was a music lover who enjoyed traveling. Houston was one of his favorite destinations, Banks said. 

Mitchell loved spending time with his family. While the couple had no children, Mitchell leaves behind his mother, father and three sisters, according to Banks. His relatives are devastated, she said. 

Mitchell had been tunneling for Peterson for a total of five years and was good at his job, Banks said. But the uncertainty surrounding his death has been troubling. 

“Since last Friday, I’ve been just like a zombie,” she said. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed Tuesday that the federal agency is investigating the incident. The probe will take about six months. 

“I just need to know what happened to my husband and why,” Banks said.