Deer park &8212; Local search and rescue efforts began late Tuesday and continued Wednesday in Old River at Deer Park in an effort to find the missing

body of Jeffery D. Hauer.

The Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Department received a call at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday reporting Hauer&8217;s unmanned boat circling in the river. Hauer, 34, of Natchez was last seen by residents of Deer Park shortly after he fell out of his fishing boat.

Hauer was in his boat alone and close to one of the boat ramps when he disapeared, Deer Park resident Donna Culpit said.

&8220;We heard him holler help and saw him bobbing in the water, but by the time we got over there we couldn&8217;t see him anymore,&8221; Culpit said while pointing towards the water. &8220;When we did get here the boat was out in the water circling wide open and circled at least 50 times before it quit.&8221;

Hauer, who was planning on taking a routine fishing trip had some occurrence take place that changed his plans, Aunt Dorothy Smith said.

&8220;He was an excellent swimmer, and it doesn&8217;t make no sense why he would be hollering and the boat would be spinnning around like that,&8221; she said. &8220;He loved to fish and could catch all the fish in the world. He was a sportsman really, young and in the prime of his life.&8221;

Family members sat around patiently awaiting the rescue crews to find the body. Adams County Sheriff&8217;s Search and Rescue, Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Department, Louisiana and Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries teams were just some of the help on hand.

&8220;There was no direct point on where the body went down, so we&8217;ve had to search a big area,&8221; Search and Rescue Incident Commander George Souderes said. &8220;This is the kind of thing that can really get you down, but the family is our main concern.&8221;

Smith said Hauer had suffered a heart attack several years back, but the exact cause of the incident has not been determined, Souderes said.

Cadaver dogs from south Louisiana and additional boats assisting the efforts will arrive this morning.

Search and rescue efforts will continue until the body is found, Souderes said.