FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – Investigators in Clay County confirmed Monday that a body found in the St. Johns River near the Doctors Lake Bridge is Keith Edward Pereau, 65.
Pereau's son said Monday the family was relieved to learn their father was found and they can lay him to rest.
Megan Cordova, Pereau's girlfriend's daughter-in-law said she's in shock.
“We’re having a hard time accepting the fact that it is Keith," Cordova said. "I feel like once we’re able to find out exactly what happened it will help bring a little bit of closure.”
The medical examiner in Jacksonville will determine the cause of death. No foul play was suspected.
Pereau's body was found Friday in the same area where he was reported missing July 15.
According to investigators, Pereau left by boat from his dock in the early-evening hours of July 15 with his girlfriend and her family.
When the boat returned to dock later that night, Pereau was on the boat, investigators said.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the boat ride. Deputies said there were few clues in Pereau's disappearance, only saying he wasn't alone in the boat and the boat was found somewhere.
Pereau's sons were assisting in the search for their father, both on land and on the water. They put up posters around the Fleming Island community and searched miles of the St. Johns River by boat.