Doctor found stabbed in burning French Quarter apartment

Police in New Orleans, Louisiana are investigating the stabbing death of a well-known doctor.

Colleagues are mourning the death of Tulane surgeon Ralph Newsome. Firefighters found the body of the 45-year-old doctor Saturday in his burning French Quarter apartment. He had been stabbed.

A surgical resident was working in the trauma unit when the doctor was brought in.

“I never seen a more committed physician. He dealt with patients with cancer, with reconstruction, with patients with birth defects, and he was so devoted to making his patient's lives better and improving their quality," said Douglas Slakey, M.D., Tulane's Chairman of Surgery. "He was one of the truly committed people. He was back in his home in the French Quarter immediately after the flood and he worked tiresly to bring health care back to New Orleans. I’ve never seen a more committed person who really embodied what we all love about New Orleans. The enthusiasm, the commitment, the love of the city."