Missing fisherman found inside capsized boat near Baytown

BAYTOWN, TX (KTRK) -- A man's body has been recovered after his fishing boat capsized in Galveston Bay near the Fred Hartman Bridge.

Deckhand Emmanuel Decero Lopez Hernandez knows the man he worked for saved his life. He is one of three people rescued after a boat overturned near the Fred Hartman Bridge Monday afternoon. It has the boating community in shock.

"Oh, it's tragic," said boater Judy Zink. "There's always kinship between fishermen, shrimpers."

Emmanuel says it started when a storm rushed in.

"I came to the cabin because of a lot of rain and in one second, a lot of wind and it turned the boat," he said.

It was 3pm Monday when the vessel flipped over. Emanuel and a 12-year-old boy were found on top of the boat. The boy's 19-year-old sister and her father were trapped underneath. The sister was rescued several hours later. The father, an experienced shrimper and boater, was nowhere in sight. His body was recovered by officials, found inside the boat Tuesday afternoon.

Emanuel tries to heal from his wounds and other boaters pray for the family.

"Sometimes, even being careful is not enough. Sometimes the forces of nature will take its course," said boater Edward Jackson.

A lot of people are crediting the man with saving not only Emmanuel's life, but his children's lives as well.