The body of a Texas police chief was discovered Sunday morning, about a day and a half after he is believed to have gone overboard during a fishing trip, authorities said.
Chris Reed, the chief of police in Kemah, on Galveston Bay about 20 miles southeast of Houston, was reported missing late Friday afternoon by his wife, who was with him on the fishing trip and said he'd fallen into the bay.
Thomas Munoz, the emergency management coordinator in Texas City, whose agency assisted in the search effort, told reporters that Reed's body was found at 7:54 a.m. in the Houston Ship Channel.
Lt. Jessica Wissman, a Coast Guard search and rescue coordinator, said the body was found about an eighth of a mile from where his wife had reported him missing. She said he may have been thrown off the boat by a large wave from a passing vessel, but not necessarily.
"Many times due to the weather conditions and the myriad of boats operating in the area, waves tend to compound onto each other, and you'll get a wave that is slightly higher than the others, and that could cause something like this," she said.
Foul play isn't suspected, authorities said.
They said it didn't appear that Reed had been wearing a life jacket. Wissman said boaters should always have them on "because you never know what type of accident might happen and might not have time to put one on."
Kemah Mayor Terri Gale said the community was "deeply saddened by this devastating loss for Chris' family, for our police department, for our community."
"We will be mourning his loss and doing whatever we can to support the family during this devastating time," Gale said.
Reed was a retired Army paratrooper and a member of the Clear Creek Independent School Board. He had three children.
