Mom and Daughter Dead, 4 Others Left 'Clinging' to Vessel After Wave Hits Fishing Boat on Louisiana Lake
The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Macy Richard and 57-year-old Jerilyn Hebert of Opelousas
Macy Richard/Facebook
Jerilyn Hebert (left) and Macy RichardA mother and her daughter have died after a fishing boat capsized in Louisiana with six people onboard, according to authorities.
The Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office (SPSO) said in a statement posted to Facebook that it was alerted to the incident in the Pirates Cove area of Toledo Bend Lake just before 12 p.m. local time on Tuesday, May 28.
According to a news release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), the incident occurred after “a wave hit the pontoon boat,” causing it to capsize and sink.
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Authorities said Tuesday’s incident began shortly after wind and waves suddenly picked up on Toledo Bend Lake. Five people had chartered the boat earlier that day, joined by a guide.
The fishing boat’s guide was able to call 911 after a wave hit the boat, according to the LDWF. Afterward, the guide and three of the charter guests were found “clinging to the capsized vessel” when help arrived around 1 p.m. The SPSO noted that two others reportedly drowned.
The LDWF then located and identified the deceased victims as 27-year-old Macy Richard and 57-year-old Jerilyn Hebert of Opelousas. Their bodies were transferred to the Sabine Parish Coroner’s Office, which will determine their official causes of death.
Hebert and Richard were mother and daughter, according to multiple posts on Facebook.
Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office
Authorities on Toledo Bend Lake in Louisiana after a boat capsized, leaving two people deadRelated: Father and 14-Year-Old Son Drown in Lake After Dad Tried to Rescue Teen: '2 Beautiful Souls'
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“Macy was the kindest soul,” Megan Dupuis wrote on her Facebook page. “She loved hard just like her Mamma, who absolutely ADORED her daughter.”
An investigation into the incident, led by the U.S. Coast Guard, is ongoing, according to the LDWF.
“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy,” the LDWF added in a Facebook post.
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