MANDEVILLE, La. — The body of a man missing after a boat capsized in Lake Pontchartrain Monday afternoon was recovered around 7 p.m. just east of the Causeway Bridge, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.
St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston has identified the man whose body was recovered as Kevin Childs, 33, of Bell Gardens, California.
Officials said an autopsy will be conducted today to formally determine the cause and manner of death.
The sheriff's office, along with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Coast Guard had been looking for the missing man after the boat capsized around 3:30 p.m. in the lake near the cabins at Fontainebleau State Park.
Five people were rescued by a good samaritan whose wife had seen people signaling for help.
Darrell Williams, the boat's owner, said the group had been on the water for about 15 minutes when it began sinking, though he wasn't sure why that was happening.
He told WWL-TV's Erika Ferrando that the water was choppy and that they waited about 45 minutes for help.
Williams said a woman onshore saw him waving a t-shirt to signal for help and that her husband got his boat in the water and was able to rescue five of them
The owner said Childs was so happy to be out on the water. When the boat began sinking Williams gave Childs a life vest but it wasn't secured properly.
The sheriff's office said the recovered body did not have a life vest on.
“As we enter the active boating season, I urge everyone to please wear a life vest every time they are on a boat,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “They save lives.”
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