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A man’s body was recovered from the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Friday after witnesses on Interstate 10 reported seeing him take his own life along the roadside, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. 

The sheriff’s office was first notified about the suspected suicide at 11:30 a.m., according to Sgt. Jenni Barrette, spokesperson for the department. 

Passersby reported that a man standing on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of I-10 shot himself before falling into the water near mile marker 212, she said. 

A heavy police presence was reported around 11:30 a.m. on the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Before 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office announced the recovery of a body matching the man’s description seen on the roadway.

As investigators searched the area, traffic congestion extended back five miles, according to the DOTD. Eastbound traffic on I-10 also experienced delays. 

All lanes of I-10 westbound on the spillway reopened just after 2 p.m. However, the DOTD reported that the right lane of the interstate was blocked by a disabled tractor-trailer at mile marker 216 at 2:25 p.m.. 

According to the DOTD, another disabled vehicle blocked the left travel lane on I-10 West at mile marker 218. 

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office also states that the incident is confirmed to be unrelated to the escaped inmates from Orleans Parish Jail on Friday morning.