HOUSTON -- The body of a former Major League Baseball player who drowned while fishing near Lake Livingston dam was recovered Friday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Jesse Edward Hollins, 39, of Willis, was last seen Thursday afternoon. He was fishing on the Polk County bank of the river when he disappeared.

Searchers found Hollins' body at about 4 p.m. near where he was reported to have entered the Trinity River.

"We had a lot of help out here and everyone worked together really well," said Texas Game Warden Capt. Shawn Phillips. "I'm glad we were finally able to make a recovery and that Mr. Hollins' family can have some closure."

Searchers used side-scan sonar and divers to look in an area of the river that is several hundred yards wide and between 6 and 12 feet deep.

"This is a very popular fishing area, and there is a lot of debris in the water," said Phillips. "It would be pretty easy to get tangled up in something down there."

Texas Game Wardens were joined by members of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Texas EquuSearch, the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Dive Team, the Trinity River Authority and the Scenic Loop Volunteer Fire Department.

Hollins was drafted by the Chicago Cubs when he was 22 years old. He played for one season in 1992.

Hollins was born in Conroe.