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September 24, 2008

Body recovered in Chambers County

ANAHUAC — The unidentified body of a woman was found Tuesday north of the Moody Wildlife Refuge in Southern Chambers County.

On Tuesday afternoon, members of the US Fish and Wildlife Department discovered the body of a white female, located in a debris field east of FM 562, between Lone Oak Bayou and Lake Surprise,.

The victim, clad only in a bra, is described as a white female in her late 40’s to early 50’s, 5’6”, medium build, with short brown hair and blonde to grey hi-lites. Preliminary autopsy results from the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that the female showed signs of dental work, including fillings and caps. She also had a scar from a hysterectomy.The cause of death appears to be drowning as there were no broken bones or head trauma.

Sunday and Monday’s search , conducted with dogs trained to find human remains, did not uncover any storm victims.

Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive’s department has been working in conjunction with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Port Arthur Police K-9 Units, US Fish and Wildlife and handlers from the all-volunteer Greater Houston Search Dogs.

Last Thursday, Officials conducted air searches for possible victims and plotted debris fields. Friday, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens marked 44 major debris piles while other groups began ground searches.

“At this time it is very difficult to know just how many people really are missing from the Bolivar Peninsula after the storm, or if there are remains in these debris fields, but if there are, then we want to make sure we find them,” LaRive said. “We do know that much of what was at Gilchrist and Crystal Beach before the storm is now five or six miles inland in Chambers County.”

LaRive also reported that there was one storm-related fatality in Chambers County in the days before the storm. Anahuac resident, Gary Schweinle, 52, was electrocuted on Sept. 12 as he attempted to secure his roof before Hurricane Ike struck.

Since Friday, searchers have fought through high water, knee-deep mud, alligators, snakes and swarms of mosquitoes to comb through piles of nail-studded lumber, appliances, household goods and trash washed ashore by the hurricane. Overturned boats nestled in trees and waterlogged mattresses dotted the landscape. Staircases and entire walls and sections of roofs also were lodged against trees on remote ranches and refuge land.

LaRive said the search will continue until all of the marked debris fields have been searched with the aid of the dogs, a process he said could ultimately take weeks.

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