Port Arthur police identify the victim of a drowning taking place Saturday afternoon as Robert George Toups, 56, of Sislbee. The Hardin County man drowned Saturday at a boat ramp near Highway 73 and Taylor's Bayou.
The Port Arthur Police Department says officers received a call that a man had disappeared in the water after trying to launch his boat around 2 p.m.
Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Precinct 8 Tom Gillam III, pronounced the Toups dead and ordered an autopsy.
Police say it appears to be an accidental drowning. They say Toups lost control of his boat upon launching the watercraft. He tried to swim out to retrieve the boat but was lost underwater.
Port Arthur Fire and Rescue recovered the body.
Police say others at the boat ramp called in the emergency.
