Search and rescue crews recovered the body of a Metairie man this morning, July 3, in Orleans Parish.

The body of Joseph Grice, 51, was recovered from Lake Pontchartrain around 9 a.m.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) along with the U.S. Coast Guard and the New Orleans Fire Department were notified about a boater who went missing on the evening of July 2 in Lake Pontchartrain.

According to a survivor, he and Grice went boating on Lake Pontchartrain when they stopped and Grice voluntarily jumped into the water. The survivor noticed that Grice was struggling to stay afloat and jumped in after him to help.

The survivor was not able to get Grice or himself back to the boat. The survivor was able to swim to the shore and was walking down Lakeshore Drive when the New Orleans Police Department found him around midnight.

The survivor then told the NOPD about the missing boater in Lake Pontchartrain and the search began.

The LDWF Enforcement Division is the lead investigative agency for this fatal incident. The New Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office will determine an official cause of death.