Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents are investigating a fatal single vessel boating incident that occurred in St. Tammany Parish on Jan. 8.

The body of William C. Coile Jr., 45, of Mandeville, was recovered from Lake Pontchartrain on Jan. 16 around 4:40 p.m.  He was recovered approximately three quarters of a mile offshore from Mandeville.

LDWF agents along with the U.S. Coast Guard and St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office (STSO) started searching for Coile Jr. on Jan. 8 when an unmanned vessel was found floating in Lake Pontchartrain.  LDWF agents and STSO deputies searched every day since Jan. 8 for Coile Jr.

LDWF will be the lead investigative agency for this fatal boating incident.  It is unknown at this time what caused Coile Jr. to enter the water.  His body was recovered without wearing a personal flotation device and was turned over to the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office to determine an official cause of death.