Johannes Martinhus Potgieter disappeared from Columbia, Louisiana after falling from a fishing outing on July 8, 2004. Originally from South Africa, he was 39 and had lived in Louisiana about five years. He was fishing on the Mississippi River with his father-in-law when he slipped into strong currents and did not resurface.

An extensive search failed to find a body. The Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Office classifies the case as lost or injured missing and continues to list it as open. Potgieter was described as a white male, 6 feet 1 inch, about 210 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had several pins in one hand from an old rugby injury and was wearing a t-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes the day he vanished.

Does anyone have memories of Potgieter, or information from that day on the river that could help the investigation?