NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans police have confirmed that the body pulled from the Mississippi River near the French Quarter is that of a missing Texas oil company executive.
Bob Young of the New Orleans police department says it looks as if 54-year-old Douglas Schantz, president of Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, died of accidental drowning.
Equusearch found the body Tuesday morning. Tim Miller, president and founder of Texas Equusearch, said the body was found Tuesday in the river "very, very near" the spot where 54-year-old Douglas Schantz, president of Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, was last seen on a security video Friday morning.
"We went out and got a clear picture of it right away," Miller said. "So then we just brought it up."
Police began focusing on the river after tracing the man's route there from a Bourbon Street bar. Searching videos from businesses in the French Quarter, police were able to place Schantz at the dock for the Riverboat Natchez at about 2:40 a.m. on Friday.
Police Superintendent Warren Riley said Tuesday that Schantz, who left the Razzoo Bar and Patio about 2 a.m. Friday, was seen walking on a 2-foot-wide walkway by the river.
Riley said the man, who had been drinking, seemed disoriented on the videos. He is seen going into a restricted area and is not seen again on the video, despite a review of the following four hours of tape, Riley said.
It does not seem that Schantz was the victim of foul play, which had earlier been suspected, Riley said.
"At no point in that 36 minutes was he ever approached or accompanied by any individual," Riley said.
Schantz was in New Orleans to give Tulane University a $25,000 gift during a reception Thursday. After the dinner, he and colleagues went to Bourbon Street around midnight, said Mark Homestead, a senior vice president who was with Schantz.
Police mounted a massive effort to find Schantz, with 30 detectives scouring the French Quarter for videos showing his path after leaving his co-workers. The FBI, U.S. Marshal Service and Customs were also involved in the search.
On Monday a Coast Guard helicopter searched for 20 miles down-river but found no sign of Schantz.
Texas Equusearch arrived in New Orleans late Monday to do a sonar search of the river. They began looking next to the Natchez Tuesday morning, but bad weather forced them to call off the search briefly. The main problem was the riverboat itself, Tim Miller, president and founder of Equusearch said.
"We started where we think he went in and thought we'd have him in 30 minutes," Miller said. "But this paddlewheel causes a lot of underwater turbulence and the boat has been in and out seven times since Friday morning."
The current along the French Quarter shore was running at almost 4 miles an hour, Miller said. But there was heavy debris under the water there, he said. And with the water temperature at just 34 degrees, the body would not pop to the surface quickly, he said.
Bob Young of the New Orleans police department says it looks as if 54-year-old Douglas Schantz, president of Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, died of accidental drowning.
Equusearch found the body Tuesday morning. Tim Miller, president and founder of Texas Equusearch, said the body was found Tuesday in the river "very, very near" the spot where 54-year-old Douglas Schantz, president of Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, was last seen on a security video Friday morning.
"We went out and got a clear picture of it right away," Miller said. "So then we just brought it up."
Police began focusing on the river after tracing the man's route there from a Bourbon Street bar. Searching videos from businesses in the French Quarter, police were able to place Schantz at the dock for the Riverboat Natchez at about 2:40 a.m. on Friday.
Police Superintendent Warren Riley said Tuesday that Schantz, who left the Razzoo Bar and Patio about 2 a.m. Friday, was seen walking on a 2-foot-wide walkway by the river.
Riley said the man, who had been drinking, seemed disoriented on the videos. He is seen going into a restricted area and is not seen again on the video, despite a review of the following four hours of tape, Riley said.
It does not seem that Schantz was the victim of foul play, which had earlier been suspected, Riley said.
"At no point in that 36 minutes was he ever approached or accompanied by any individual," Riley said.
Schantz was in New Orleans to give Tulane University a $25,000 gift during a reception Thursday. After the dinner, he and colleagues went to Bourbon Street around midnight, said Mark Homestead, a senior vice president who was with Schantz.
Police mounted a massive effort to find Schantz, with 30 detectives scouring the French Quarter for videos showing his path after leaving his co-workers. The FBI, U.S. Marshal Service and Customs were also involved in the search.
On Monday a Coast Guard helicopter searched for 20 miles down-river but found no sign of Schantz.
Texas Equusearch arrived in New Orleans late Monday to do a sonar search of the river. They began looking next to the Natchez Tuesday morning, but bad weather forced them to call off the search briefly. The main problem was the riverboat itself, Tim Miller, president and founder of Equusearch said.
"We started where we think he went in and thought we'd have him in 30 minutes," Miller said. "But this paddlewheel causes a lot of underwater turbulence and the boat has been in and out seven times since Friday morning."
The current along the French Quarter shore was running at almost 4 miles an hour, Miller said. But there was heavy debris under the water there, he said. And with the water temperature at just 34 degrees, the body would not pop to the surface quickly, he said.
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