BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The bodies of a jam band musician and his adult son were recovered from an Arkansas lake more than three weeks after the two went missing during a kayaking trip, authorities said.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that the bodies were identified as those of Chuck Morris, 47, and his 20-year-old son, Charley Morris. Chuck Morris was a percussionist who for more than two decades had been a member of the instrumental jam band Lotus.
The father and son from Kansas City, Missouri, were last seen on March 16 while on a kayaking trip to Beaver Lake, The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. A search crew found their bodies over the weekend while searching the lake with an underwater drone, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Lotus posted a statement from the Morris family on its Facebook page saying relatives had spoken with Arkansas authorities and were told the men drowned.
A Facebook statement from the band said proceeds from upcoming concerts in Denver; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Port Chester, New York, will go to benefit the Morris family.
“Thank you all for the outpouring of support from around the world — we feel it and love you just as much,” the band posted.
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BENTON COUNTY —On March 16, law enforcement authorities began search efforts for two missing kayakers in the area of S. Lost Bridge Village of Beaver Lake, according to the Benton County, Arkansas sheriff.
Major Kenneth Paul led the search efforts utilizing many resources from across the nation and organized the daily operations of these efforts. On Sunday, efforts were combined with Carroll County MDS and Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team (CAM SAR) out of Tennessee. They were able to utilize their Underwater ROV in a challenging environment that exceeded depths of 180 feet.
After 24 days of recovery efforts, the bodies of both Charles Morris IV and his son Charles Morris V have been recovered thanks to the technology and efforts by all personnel.
Sheriff Holloway, along with the family of Chuck and Charley, would like to thank all the men and women who donated their time and efforts to help bring closure to the family and recover the two missing men.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office SAR unit, Marine division, Aviation unit, Dive team, and K9 division along with Arkansas Game and Fish SAR and Dive team, Tennessee CAM SAR (Christian Aid Ministries), Arkansas MDS (Mennonite Disaster Services), Tri-County SAR, Grassy Knob Fire, Inspiration Fire, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and K9 units out of Illinois (John Blevins), Oklahoma (Quapaw Nation K9) Louisiana (Cajun Coast).