A Louisiana man has been found dead in a local canal after his dog was discovered sitting near his empty boat.
The body of Seth Falcon, 38, was removed from the Banister Canal, in Lower St. Martin Parish, around 9:00 a.m. local time, on Friday, Feb. 28, officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said in a statement.
Falcon’s last known contact said the Pierre Part resident “left to go fishing with his dog around 3 p.m.” on Monday, Feb. 24, but “never returned,” authorities said.
The LDWF was notified of Falcon’s disappearance the next day on Tuesday, Feb. 25, according to authorities.
Agents who responded to the scene found evidence that suggested the boat he was on “hit a pylon ejecting the operator into the water.”
A nearby commercial fisherman said he called authorities after he came across the 18-foot aluminum vessel “unmanned.”
Authorities also revealed Falcon’s dog was “found on a platform near the boating incident site” and has since been “returned to the boater’s family.”
Falcon’s body was recovered without a personal flotation device three days after he was reported missing, they added.
Born in Baton Rouge, Falcon was “an extremely talented pipe fitter” whose “real love” in life was the outdoors, according to his obituary. He enjoyed hunting with his dad as well as “being out on the water.”
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“He found happiness in fishing or even just taking an evening cruise with his dog,” the obituary reads. “The water was where he found peace & now has found eternal peace. Seth was a friend to so many and would do anything for anyone.”
Falcon was also described as a man with “a heart of gold,” despite his “tough guy” exterior. “He could always make others laugh, but also gave the best hugs in the entire world,” the obituary states.
Falcon’s body has been turned over to the St. Martin Parish Coroner’s Office, which will determine his official cause of death, according to the LDWF. An investigation into Falcon’s death is ongoing.
A funeral for Falcon will take place on Thursday, March 6, in Prairieville, according to his obituary.
“So many lives were touched and changed by Seth and all that he had overcome throughout the years,” the obituary reads. “Only the peace of God can fill a hole in our hearts as large as what we feel after losing Seth.”
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