Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents are investigating a fatal boating incident that occurred on Nov. 21 in Jefferson Parish.
Agents were notified around 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 about a missing boater in Lake Pontchartrain near Metairie. The body of Ronald Taylor Jr., 45, of Kenner, was recovered from Lake Pontchartrain shortly after the incident.
According to the operator of the 21-foot boat, he and Taylor Jr. were recreationally trawling for shrimp when their trawl got snagged on the bottom of the lake. While trying to get the trawl loose, the back of the vessel was taking on water.
The operator was able to put on a personal flotation device (PFD) before the boat sunk. Taylor Jr. wasn’t able to get his PFD on before entering the water and he never resurfaced. The operator was able to swim to shore and call for help.
The LDWF Enforcement Division will be the lead investigative agency for this fatal boating incident. Taylor Jr.’s body was turned over to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office to determine an official cause of death.
