Mitchell Guist, a Louisiana alligator hunter featured on History’s reality television show “Swamp People,” died Monday, according to a statement by the Louisiana state police.
Mitchell Guist, star of History's "Swamp People," has passed away
Guist, who would have turned 49 on Friday, was pronounced dead at the hospital after falling from his boat on the Intracoastal Waterway near Pierre Part. Reports from deputies in neighboring St. Martin Parish state that Guist was traveling on the waterway around 9 A.M. when he fell. The boat then docked in St. Martin and Guist was taken to a nearby hospital.
The reason for Guist’s fall is as of yet unclear, and there is still no word on the official cause of death. However, 911 tapes released late Monday night reveal that Belle River residents believed the man had suffered a heart attack.
“You say he’s in cardiac arrest?” the dispatcher said.
“Yes, sir, we’re blowing and pumping the guy’s chest right now,” the caller said. “It looks like he may have had a heart attack.”
In a statement released to the public yesterday, History said, “We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the Swamp People family, Mitchell Guist, has passed away. Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved. We appreciate your respect for the Guist family’s privacy and hope you join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his brother, Glenn, and the rest of the Guist family.”
“Swamp People” is currently on its third season and airs Thursday nights on the History Channel.
Encyclopedia & Reference Resource