RedactedNarrative: On 5/21/17 at approximately 14:00 hours, Operator had just returned to his houseboat in the Orange Barrel Canal located in St. Martin Parish. Operator went on a short boat ride in his 17' aluminum Hanko vessel with remote steering. Operator’s wife had stayed at the houseboat eating crawfish. Upon arriving to the houseboat Operator’s wife secured the line of the Hanko to the houseboat. Once vessel was secured the dog jumped onto the houseboat and Operator offloaded a case of beer. Operator’s wife then returned inside to finish eating crawfish. While inside Operator’s wife heard her husband state that she did not tie the Hanko close enough to the houseboat. She then went to re-tie the vessel for him. 
  
  When she walked out of the houseboat she observed Operator fall into the water. Operator’s wife had recently undergone open heart surgery and was unable to render physical aid to Operator. Operator was not wearing a PFD when he fell overboard. Operator’s wife stated that she saw her husband go underwater and then resurface. She then threw him a Type III PFD. Operator was unable to secure the PFD then made his way to the stern of the 17' vessel and tried to re-enter. Operator was unable to re-enter the vessel and for unknown reasons attempted to swim to the bow of the vessel in an attempt to re-enter from a higher position. 
  
  At that time, Operator’s wife grabbed a Type IV PFD and tossed it to Operator. Operator attempted to grab the PFD but was unsuccessful. As Operator attempted to grab the Type IV, Operator’s wife observed him submerge and never resurface. Operator’s wife then began screaming for help and some gentlemen from a nearby houseboat came to assist. They began dragging a hook between the two houseboats where Operator went underwater and were able to recover his body after approximately 20 to 30 minutes of trying. According to Operator’s wife Operator, Operator drank bourbon the night before the incident but she did not know if he had consumed any alcohol on that day. The St. Martin Parish Coroner Investigator, obtained a blood sample and submitted for toxicology test (results pending). Agents currently do not suspect drugs or alcohol to be contributing factors in the incident, but will update the toxicology results when available.
  