Marcel Chauvin, age 66, drowned in an old gravel pit near Enon on Tuesday after the kayak he was fishing from flipped. A witness said that after the kayak flipped Chauvin tried to get back in but his hand slipped and he went underwater and did not re-surface.
The gravel pit where the drowning occurred is very close to the Bogue Chitto River.
Efforts to rescue Chauvin were unsuccessful.
The accident occurred about noon on Tuesday and his body was recovered from the gravel pit Tuesday evening.
Although Chauvin was a resident of Marrero on the South Shore, he owned property near where the accident occurred and he was a frequent visitor to this area, according to his son, Dylan Chauvin.
When Marcel Chauvin disappeared under the surface of the gravel pit, 911 was called and deputies and other first responders were dispatched to the old gravel pit. It was initially hoped that the Chauvin could be found and resuscitated, but as time went by the emergency response tragically became a recovery effort. Searchers on the scene were equipped with a sonar boat and diving gear.
The drowning happened not far from Enon Elementary School at an area accessed via Holden's Run Road, a gated road that turns off of Highway 16 across from the school.
Dylan Chauvin, the son, described his father as “a wonderful outdoorsman” who enjoyed being outdoors and fishing. He was a retired machine operator.
Dylan Chauvin has established a Go Fund Me account to help with his father’s final expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-marcel-chauvins-memory
