Two men have been recovered from an accident at Toledo Bend over the weekend, according to Sabine Parish Sheriff Aaron Mitchell and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), who acted as the lead investigative agency in this fatal boating incident.
Both agencies were notified on Saturday, March 12, at approximately 3:30 p.m. of two overdue boaters. According to friends, the two missing boaters launched their 18-foot vessel around 10 a.m. on March 11, from Solan’s Boat Launch to fish. The launch is located on state Highway 482 in the Ebarb community
On Saturday, search crews recovered the body of George Diboll, 62, of Oakdale, between a boat lane and the shore just south of the Solan’s Camp area at approximately 8 p.m.
On Sunday, the search crews included a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Fort Polk to aid in the search. Late in the day, the fishing vessel was located and marked by a United Cajun Navy volunteer using his boat sonar/chartplotter electronic equipment. The boat was sitting on the bottom in approximately 17’ of water between an island and a boat lane in the main part of the lake.
On Monday, March 14, the Desoto Parish Fire District One Toldeo Bend Search and Recovery Team used divers to attach large air bags to the vessel and brought it up close to the surface. The sheriff said the high winds and choppy lake conditions made the recovery efforts difficult and time-consuming. The boat was eventually towed to the Solan’s Camp boat launch by the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Marine Unit with help from Louisiana Wildlife Agent vessels.
The second body, identified as Marvin Parsons, 62, of Lafayette, was recovered around 3:30 p.m. Officials said Parsons was found near Holly Park Marina off Carters Ferry Road near Milam on the Texas side of the lake.
LDWF agents along with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office, DeSoto Fire and Rescue Dive Team, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Army at Fort Polk, and volunteers all assisted in the search and recovery of the two bodies and the vessel. The bodies of Diboll and Parsons were turned over to the Sabine Parish Coroner’s Office to determine an official cause of death.
LDWF agents suspect bad weather led to this fatal boating incident. The weather on March 11, changed mid-day as a cold front pushed through making the temperature in the high 20s with nearly 30 mile per hour winds, according to officials.
