Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre reported the body of 74-year-old Ronald Blanchard of Thibodaux was found on Sunday, March 26. A fisherman discovered Blanchard, who had been missing since March, 3, 2017, while traveling in the area near where his boat had been discovered on Sunday afternoon.

Blanchard was at his camp and scheduled to travel by boat to meet a family member that evening at the Pointe-aux-Chenes Marina, but he never arrived. With assistance from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, LPSO deputies and divers searched around the clock for a week, but they were unable to locate him. Daily patrols continued in the area after that time, and boaters and anglers were asked to be on the lookout for Blanchard.