A pair of teenage brothers’ duck hunting trip in Oroville, California, took a tragic turn when one brother’s kayak flipped over on a stormy lake and the other brother jumped in to help. More than a week later, authorities still haven’t found either boy.
Wesley Cornett, 17, and Andrew Cornett, 19, went missing on December 14th while on a hunting expedition to Thermalit Afterbay. The lake, a 4,300-acre lake in Butte County, is overgrown with 10-foot-tall weeds and has temperatures that can cause hypothermia, according to the Butte newspaper. County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office announced that every effort was made to find the boys under the water using divers and sonar technology. The search and recovery mission has now transitioned to a “continuing limited search” focused on searching the lake using aircraft, drones, trained dogs, boats and ground vehicles, the sheriff’s office said. .
The boys were in trouble when Andrew called 911 at 8:33 a.m. Dec. 14 to report his brother’s kayak had flipped over in the lake, according to the sheriff’s office. This is the first time authorities have learned of this. Dispatch staff advised Andrew “numerous times” to stay in his kayak, but he insisted on diving after his brother to try and rescue him.
That day, severe storms flooded the Oroville area and left about 5,000 Butte County residents without power, Action News Now reported.
The first Butte County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene less than 15 minutes after receiving Andrew’s call, and were quickly joined by members of the Cal Fire and Water Rescue Team, the sheriff’s office said. That’s what it means.
Around 9 a.m., a deputy found the kayak and possibly one of the brothers. About 20 minutes later, the kayak, paddle and waders were found, but the boys were nowhere to be seen.
A large-scale joint search operation was conducted over the past 10 days, mobilizing approximately 280 team members from 21 different agencies.
“Thousands of acres were searched by boat, ground and raft,” Trevor Skaggs of the sheriff’s office search and rescue team said in a video shared by the sheriff’s office.
Divers spent hours dragged by boats beneath the murky surface of the lake, battling difficult search conditions.
The sheriff’s office said 10-foot-tall weeds could become entangled, and the silt kicked up made it impossible to see more than a few inches underwater. Divers had to limit the amount of time they spent underwater, as the very low temperatures put them at risk of hypothermia.
Thick vegetation and surface undulations made it difficult for sonar technology to capture clear and accurate images below the lake’s surface, which is 3 to 30 feet deep.
Divers found Andrew’s pants last Tuesday, Wesley’s wallet on Thursday, and Wesley’s jacket and phone on Friday.
The boys’ mother, April Clark, said in a GoFundMe post that Andrew was a hero to her for trying to save Wesley.
“The sheriff says this is search and recovery, so I also have to make a plan to put my two sons to rest,” she wrote. “This is 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.”
