Authorities have recovered the body of a missing teenager who went missing with his older brother while duck hunting more than two weeks ago in Northern California’s Thermalit Afterbay.
A Butte County Sheriff’s Office pilot found the body of Andrew Cornett, 19, around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the original search area of a large reservoir near Oroville. His body has been recovered and his family has been notified, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Cornett had been missing since Dec. 14, when he called 911 to report that his brother’s kayak had flipped over in the cold, murky water. Dispatchers advised Cornett “multiple times” to stay in his kayak, but he jumped into the water to try to save his brother, Wesley Cornett, 17, and was seen swimming north from the kayak. insisted. My brother has never been found.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that the pilot who discovered Andrew Cornett’s body on Tuesday forced the helicopter to land after the drone was seen flying very close to the helicopter.
“The search will continue by air, but the use of drones in the search area will prevent pilots from flying,” the statement said.
The sheriff’s office said thousands of acres have been searched by boat, foot and raft since the brothers went missing. After receiving a call for help at 8:33 a.m. on Dec. 14, Butte County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene within 15 minutes and were joined by Cal Fire and Water Rescue, the department said.
A deputy reported seeing the kayaker and possibly one of the brothers around 9 a.m. About 20 minutes later, a rescue boat found the kayak, paddle and waders. Other items, including the brothers’ pants, wallet and phone, were later discovered.
Rescue and recovery efforts are complicated by weeds up to 10 feet tall and rolled-up mud clouding visibility beyond several inches. Channel depth ranges from 3 to 30 feet.
In a GoFundMe post, the boys’ mother, April Clark, called Andrew a hero for trying to save his brother.
“This was a freak accident that my family and I are trying to come to terms with, but we still have four girls at home who need to be taken care of,” she wrote.
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