NEW ORLEANS -- The body of a former Louisiana State University football standout and member of the New England Patriots has been recovered from Lake Pontchartrain.
Officials told WDSU NewsChannel 6 that they have recovered the body of Marquise Hill. The news report came about 17 hours after the Coast Guard received word that Hill was missing following an apparent personal water craft accident on Lake Ponchartrain.
The search began after the Coast Guard received reports that a man ventured onto the lake Sunday on a personal watercraft and did not return.
The call to the Coast Guard came shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
The caller said he had found a woman in the water, holding onto a piling and calling for help. The Good Samaritan rescued the woman, who told him that there was another passenger on the watercraft with her.
The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter from Air Station New Orleans, two rescue boat crews and additional resources.
After searching overnight for Marquise Hill, a defensive tackle in the NFL since 2004, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said at about 10:45 a.m. Monday that they were no longer on a search and rescue mission.
Hill was a defensive tackle for the Patriots and a New Orleans native. He saw limited action in the NFL last season, with brief appearances in four games. He was a graduate of De La Salle High School in New Orleans.
