26 YO Laura Thomas of Covington, who went missing on the Tchefuncte River and was later found after spending more than 12 hours in the water, has died.
Thomas was reported missing Friday evening after what investigators think was an accident on a personal watercraft on the river. A search for her was called off hours later due to intense thunderstorms.
Capt. Scott Lee with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says Thomas was on the river with friends when she was separated from them. When her friends could not find her, they reported her missing.
On Saturday morning a good Samaritan spotted Thomas’ watercraft around 10:30 a.m. Thomas was found wearing a lifejacket with just her head out of the water near the Flower Estates subdivision in Covington.
She was taken to Lakeview Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
