The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(NEW ORLEANS) — The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a person in the Mississippi River in St. James Parish, La.
Coast Guard boat and air crews searched approximately 168 square nautical miles for approximately 27 hours but were unable to locate the person.
“The decision to suspend a search is never easy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Plummer, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Sector New Orleans. “Our crews searched diligently for the missing man but, unfortunately, were unable to locate him. Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of the missing man during this difficult time.”
Involved in the search were multiple MH-65 Dolphin helicopter air crews from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, and multiple 45-foot response boat-medium crews from Coast Guard Station New Orleans.
Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 8:22 p.m. Wednesday of a missing man from the towing vessel St. Genevieve who was last seen on the vessel between mile marker 161 and 162 on the Mississippi River.
The missing man was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.
