Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents located the body of a missing boater this morning, Dec. 9, from a double fatal boating incident that occurred on Nov. 29.

Agents recovered the body of Eric J. Williams, 47, of Holden, around 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 9 from the Pearl River in Washington Parish.  His body was turned over to the Washington Parish Coroner’s Office.

Agents were notified around 8:25 p.m. on Nov. 29 about two missing boaters that launched a boat on the Pearl River out of Bogalusa at Pools Bluff about a quarter of a mile north of a sill.  Agents and sheriff office deputies immediately began searching for the missing boaters.

The body of Joe R. Newby, 50, was recovered from the Pearl River around midnight on Nov. 29.

LDWF is the lead investigative agency for this fatal boating incident.  Investigators believe at this time the 14-foot vessel they were traveling in went over the sill and capsized.