Fatal Boating Incident on Lake Pontchartrain Being Investigated by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Louisiana – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported on May 31, 2022, that enforcement agents are looking into a fatal boating accident that occurred on May 30 in St. Tammany Parish.

Kevin Childs, 33, of Inglewood, California, was found dead in Lake Pontchartrain on May 30. His body was turned over to the St. Tammany Coroner’s Office for an official cause of death determination. Agents from the LDWF received information about a missing boater on Lake Pontchartrain. Agents learned that Childs was in a 31-foot vessel with five other people in the lake when the boat began to take on water, dumping him and the other five people into the water around 3:30 p.m.

Before entering the water, the other five people on board were able to properly don personal flotation devices. Childs’ personal flotation device was not properly secured to his body, and it fell off while he was in the water. The other passengers were rescued from the water safely.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will lead the investigation into this fatal boating accident. At this time, it is unknown why the boat began to take on water.