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 NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill spent much of his free time and his NFL paycheck helping loved ones in New Orleans rebuild in the hurricane-damaged city where he grew up. However, the former LSU star's latest visit home for Memorial Day weekend turned tragic when he and a female friend ventured out on Lake Pontchartrain on a jet ski without life vests Sunday night.
The two ended up falling off the water craft in an area of swirling currents near where a major shipping canal runs into the lake. While the woman survived by grabbing a pylon and holding on to it until she was rescued, the 24-year-old Hill, who friends described as a good swimmer, drifted away and disappeared until searchers pulled his body from the water on Monday afternoon.
Loved ones including Hill's fiancee, Inell Benn, and friends, including Patriots teammate Randall Gay, had waited anxiously along the shoreline during the search and consoled one another when authorities told them Hill was found dead.
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