New Orleans Police Recover Body Of Missing 14-Year-Old Swimmer

The search for a missing New Orleans teen took a tragic turn after search and rescue crews recovered his body from Lake Pontchartrain.

The body of 14-year-old Charles Cooper Jr. was recovered from the New Orleans lake on Tuesday (January 19) near Stars and Strips Boulevard and Hayne Boulevard. He went missing while swimming with cousins on Friday (January 15) when they jumped in the water to get a shoe that had fallen in. Sadly, he never resurfaced.

Cooper's mother, Kema Powell, was at the lake each day throughout the search, praying that her son would be found. His body was eventually recovered near the spot he went missing and where Powell prayed every day.

"Until they found him, I wasn't going anywhere," she said. "Even if they decided to say that was it, they're not going to do it, I wasn't going anywhere."

The search for the missing teen was a joint operation with the New Orleans Police Department and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. According to New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson, the Cajun Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office also assisted in the search.

"We're happy we were able to find him and bring closure to this family," said Chief Ferguson.

An autopsy will be performed to determine Cooper's exact cause of death.

Photo: Getty Images


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