Body recovered amid search for missing 20-year-old kayaker on Lake Carl Blackwell

By Addison Kliewer

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    Oklahoma (KOCO) — A body was recovered Tuesday during the search for a 20-year-old kayaker who went missing on Lake Carl Blackwell.

A public information officer with Oklahoma State University confirmed a body was recovered during the search for Brendan Arrington, an Enid resident. His family first reported him missing at around 4 p.m. Sunday after he told them he was going to kayak across the lake.

The body was taken to the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office. It wasn’t immediately clear how the body was located.

“The family was out here just enjoying the nice start to the summer and were out here to ride their kayaks, and the individual started to make his way from one side of the lake to the other,” Capt. Dan Ray with OSU police said on Monday.

Dive teams searched the water and checked the shorelines for Arrington. Within 30 minutes of searching, authorities found Arrington’s kayak without him inside.

“We did find the kayak that he was in, and it was full of water,” Ray said. “We were told he did not have a lifejacket with him.”

Sunday night’s storm forced authorities to call off the search and rescue teams until Monday morning. Police said they don’t know what caused Arrington to fall into the lake, but they said the winds were strong on Sunday.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.

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