The body of a missing kayaker 23-year-old man was recovered Sunday from the Trinity River after he apparently drowned, officials say.
Kaufman County deputies were notified Sunday morning of a possible missing person at U.S. Highway 175 and the Trinity River in Crandall, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
They contacted family members of the man, Anthony Villarreal, who said he had been missing since Wednesday. His family said they found his vehicle Saturday under the highway bridge at the river, where he was known to kayak.
The Crandall Fire Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue’s water rescue team responded to the location. The Texas Department of Public Safety also responded with a helicopter and located Villarreal’s kayak tangled in trees about 6 miles south of where he vehicle was parked.
First responders launched a boat from the bridge on FM 3039 between Crandall and Combine, traveled roughly 300 yards north and discovered Villarreal’s body, according to the release.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Mary Bardin.
His body was sent to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Details available Monday from the medical examiner’s office were sparse but listed his place of death as Seagoville.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is leading the primary investigation since Villarreal is believed to have drown on a public waterway.
