WASHINGTON PARISH, La. — Search and rescue crews believe they found the body of a Holden man who went missing on the Pearl River in Washington Parish last month.
The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office said the body was found near a section of the river known as Red Bluff, which is about a mile downriver from the Poole's Bluff sill. Sheriff Randy Seal said the body is presumed to be 47-year-old Eric Josh Williams who went missing with another man, 50-year-old Joe Newby, in late November.
"From what we understand, the owner of the boat just purchased it and they were just testing it out," Corporal Lee Davis with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.
Williams and Newby were both reported missing after they did not return home. Newby's body was recovered shortly after about 400 yards downriver from the Poole's Bluff sill, a low-head dam. Authorities said earlier this week that they found what is believed to be the boat at the bottom of the river near the dam.
Davis said when the river is low, the water level drops about four feet and boaters who are unfamiliar with the dam can travel right over it.
"When it's low like that with the water churning on the other side, anything that gets trapped in it, it just kind of rolls back and forth in that dam," Davis said.
The only warning about the dam is some red signs that read "Danger." They are on each side of the river but can be hard to spot. One sign appears overgrown by limbs and weeds while the other is faded.
"They are kind of hard to see. If you are not familiar with a body of water, try to do a little research on it," he said.
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