EMPIRE, La. — The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its search Wednesday for a Slidell man whose boat sank south of Empire, La.
Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,700 square nautical miles for more than 31 hours but could not find Mark Matherne.
“Suspending a search is never easy and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the missing person during this difficult time,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Ferguson, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “Our multiple crews from various units and agencies searched diligently but, regrettably, were unable to locate the missing man.”
The Coast Guard received reports of a sunken boat around 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, about six miles southwest of Empire. Rescue crews found Matherne's boat near Shell Island Bay, Louisiana, but Matherne was nowhere in sight.
Anyone with information should contact the Coast Guard's New Orleans Sector command center at 504-365-2544.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
