BEAVER LAKE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Cajun Coast Search & Rescue Team ended its search for two missing kayakers on Beaver Lake.
The crew had been on the water since Sunday looking for Chuck Morris and his son Charley. The pair went missing while out on the water on March 16.
Cajun Coast Search & Rescue got to Beaver Lake on Sunday and started active searching on Monday. The nonprofit takes a K-9 out on the water to help alert them to spots where missing people could be.
Matt Steinbeck, the commanding officer of the Cajun Coast Search & Rescue: Arkansas Division, said the K-9 alerted the team to the same spot multiple times. He’s hopeful it will aid in the Benton County Sheriff’s Office search.
“I’m 100% positive, and our dog never leads us off. He’s got 59 recoveries underneath him right now,” Steinbeck said.
Starkey Marina is right next to where the Morris’ went missing. The business got a call from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office the day they went missing, asking if they had seen the missing kayakers.
Jessi Griffin is the general manager at the marina. The Cajun Coast Search & Rescue asked the marina if they could borrow a boat when they got there.
“They needed a boat to be able to go out on the water to search and so when we were asked, of course, we jumped at the opportunity to help the community,” Griffin said.
Griffin reflected on the day the hikers went missing. She said conditions were not ideal. It was windy, rainy and she didn’t see anyone on the water due to the weather.
With the search scaling back, Steinbeck and Griffin are hoping the family will still soon be able to have peace.
“We pray for the family and that they can get closure on this. We will continue to do everything that we possibly can to assist in that,” Griffin said.