UPDATE December 9
This morning (Thursday), agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) recovered a body from the Pearl River. The body was discovered near a section of the river known as Red Bluff, which is located at least a mile downriver from the Poole’s Bluff sill, south of Bogalusa.
The body is presumed to be Eric Josh Williams. The body of the other boater, Joe Newby, was recovered soon after the boating accident.
Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal expressed his appreciation for all who were involved in the search. “I am so grateful for all who were involved in the search process. Our officers, along with LDWF, St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office and representatives of the Cajun Navy, spent many hours on the river as they searched for the body. I express my sincere condolences to the families of the two men and I hope this final recovery brings some solace to them.”
UPDATE December 7
The search for a missing boater in the Pearl River has been suspended. The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office made the decision to suspend the search after 9 days of searching without results. Sheriff's Office personnel discussed the decision with the family of the missing boater before the search was suspended.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
First responders and volunteers were still searching for a missing man on Monday (Dec. 6) after two boaters went missing in the Pearl River a week ago. One man’s body has been recovered in the apparent accident that happened on the river near Poole’s Bluff, south of Bogalusa.
Eric Josh Williams. age 47, from Holden was still missing as of today (Dec. 6). The body of Joe Newby, 50, of Covington was recovered late in the night of November 29.
The accident on the river occurred at or near the Sill, a dangerous place that has claimed boaters previously.
The two men had apparently just purchased their boat and were trying it out. They went to the Pearl River approximately 3 p.m Monday, November 29. Relatives reported them missing that night when neither of the men answered their cell phones.
The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office is reaching out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to see if they can assist in the search. Sonar has picked up the outline of a possible boat at the bottom of the river just below the Sill. The current is treacherous at that point, so WPSO officials are hopeful that the Corps may have heavy equipment that could be used to pull the boat out of the river. Whether the body of the missing man is lodged near or in the boat remains to be seen.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is overseeing the search for Williams, with assistance from the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. A helicopter from the Coast Guard helped with the search.
Officials at the scene want to remind boaters that the Sill and other low-water dams on the Pearl are dangerous and should be avoided.
