Body recovered during search for missing boater after deadly high-speed crash

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A body found in the San Jacinto River is believed to be that of a man that went overboard in a boat crash this weekend, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Searchers have been scouring the San Jacinto River since the boat crash that happened Sunday evening.

"I just saw when, they arrived they kept combing the water. As soon as the sheriffs got out here, they closed the river," a family member said.

Investigators say a bass boat was heading down the river when the driver lost control and slammed into another driver. He and his girlfriend were injured so badly, they were rushed to the hospital. Another man on the boat plunged into the water and hadn't been seen since.

"If and when the third person who was on the boat is recovered, the defendant will face a murder charge," Sean Teare, the chief  of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Vehicular Crimes Division, said on Monday.

That is because they believe he was drunk, making this his third DWI. The driver also has a series of criminal convictions and charges from around the area. Investigators plan to go over the boat to see if there was some sort of mechanical failure, but surveillance video from one of the homes show the boat roaring down the river at very high speed. 

People who live along the stretch of river say they often see intoxicated boaters. With the fourth of July falling on a Thursday, law enforcement expects to see a surge of drunken boating.

"Getting drunk and getting behind he wheel of a boat is just as dangerous, and can result in just as many deaths as doing it behind the wheel of a car. These aren't toys," said Teare.

Deputies aren't releasing the names of anyone involved just yet.