MANDEVILLE, La. — The U.S. Coast Guard, along with state and local first responders, suspended their search in Lake Pontchartrain on Monday for a missing Mandeville man after a boat he was on was found adrift with nobody aboard on Sunday.
The Coast Guard had searched for approximately 16 hours, according to a press release.
"Making the decision to suspend a search and rescue case is never an easy one and it's only made after careful consideration of factors involved in each case," said Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Keefe, Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time.”
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said the boat was found floating under the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway near mile marker 23 shortly after 8:30 a.m.
The sheriff's office said that the registered owner of the boat told them that a friend from Mandeville was using the boat to go fishing Sunday. His pickup was located at the Mandeville Harbor.
The USCG identified the missing man as 44-year-old Billy Coile, who was described as a white man wearing a blue shirt and khakis.
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