Despite the use of special sonar side-glance equipment, divers and cadaver dogs, the mystery of missing boater Mario Ruffino is no closer to a resolution after almost a week of searching.

Ruffino has been the subject of a search and rescue/recovery operation by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries with the assistance of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office since his 17-foot fiberglass bass boat was discovered Monday night under the Interstate 12 bridge over the Tchefuncte River. Another boater found the boat about 7 p.m. last Monday night wedged between a wooden channel marker and a safety fender structure. The heavily damaged boat had at least three impacts with the pilings and the throttle was fully opened, indicating it traveling at a high rate of speed, said officials.

Ruffino had failed to return to the 4th Avenue boat launch after dropping a friend off in Madisonville about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5. He reportedly left Madisonville about midnight, but did not return to the boat launch to his truck. Lt. Ed Laviolette of the Wildlife and Fisheries Department said the depth of the river at this point is about 25 feet. To complicate matters, the weather conditions at the time of the accident included high winds with a cold front approaching.

Laviolette said that searches of this type begin at shorelines in case the victim is injured and in need of medical attention. The river is then searched from the shorelines to the deepest part.

Search areas have expanded upstream and downstream from the bridge with no results.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman George Bonnet indicated on Friday that a reevaluation of the search would take place over this weekend if he were not found.

Friends have said Ruffino is an avid fisherman, and familiar with the river. Friends, family and well wishers across the parish have been praying for a resolution to his disappearance, including during the opening invocation at Thursday’s School Board meeting.