Account
Jan 27, 2026
Jan 27, 2026
Brady
Michael Ortego
44
44
5'7 inches
155 lbs
White
Male
Ortego was last seen in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana on January 14, 2021. He was a construction worker and was working on the Hale Boggs Bridge that night, installing cameras, when a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck collided with him and three other construction workers. The other three workers suffered only minor injuries, but Ortego was flung off the bridge and fell more than 150 feet down into the Mississippi River. He disappeared in the water and was never seen again. In March 2021, authorities charged Hunter Mason Johnson with vehicular homicide/driving under the influence, hit and run involving a fatality, reckless operation and obstruction of justice in Ortego's presumed death. He had left the scene before the police arrived, abandoning his truck, and called his grandmother to get a ride home. In the weeks after the collision he had reached out to Ortego's widow over social media, something which she says caused emotional distress. A photo of Johnson is posted with this case summary. In February 2022 he reached a plea agreement with the prosecution, pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a further 12 years of supervision upon his release. Ortego is presumed deceased, but his body has never been located.
Jan 14, 2021
St. Charles Parish
Louisiana
St. Charles Parish
4
Louisiana State Police, Troop B
504-471-2775
01/27/2026
