Houma kayaker’s body pulled from bayou

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office located the body of kayaker Keith Hebert Jr. Sunday morning around 10 a.m., said Major Euia Usie.

Following an autopsy, the coroner’s office ruled the death an accidental drowning.

The 20-year-old Montegut man had been missing since Friday morning after setting out on Bayou Terrebonne in his 16-foot neon kayak to visit a friend.

He was not wearing a life vest.

Hebert’s empty kayak was found on a mudflat near his home. Sheriff’s deputies dragged the bayou Friday night and used a cadaver dog on Saturday.

According to an aunt, Hebert suffered from seizures, which caused him to black out at times, Usie said.

The sheriff’s office estimates that six drowning deaths have occurred this year in Terrebonne Parish.