LDWF Investigating Fatal Boating Incident on Lake Pontchartrain

Published 12:47 pm Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents are investigating a fatal boating incident that occurred on May 30 in St. Tammany Parish.

The body of Kevin Childs, 33, from Inglewood, Calif., was recovered from Lake Pontchartrain on May 30.  His body was turned over to the St. Tammany Coroner’s Office to determine an official cause of death.

LDWF agents received information about a missing boater in Lake Pontchartrain.  Agents learned that Childs was amongst five other people in a 31-foot vessel in the lake when the boat started to take on water putting him and the other five people in the water around 3:30 p.m.

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

LDWF will be the lead investigative agency for this fatal boating incident.  It is unknown at this time why the boat took on water.