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WYLIE, Texas — A 28-year-old man’s body was recovered Monday evening after he was reported missing while kayaking on a North Texas lake.
Just before 4:45 p.m., Wylie authorities responded to a water rescue in the East Fork of the Trinty River between Lake Lavon and Lake Ray Hubbard. Witnesses told police they spotted four people in the water north of State Highway 78 where the rivers cross under.
Rescue crews pulled three people from the water. Two of them were taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to a news release from the Wylie Police Department. The third victim was treated at the scene and released. The deceased victim was later identified as Jose Santamaria, according to the Wylie Police Department.
Chopper 8 captured Wylie divers with the assistance of the Garland Fire Department’s swift water team searching the waters for the fourth victim.
To increase their efforts to locate the victim, Wylie police said it contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the Lavon Dam gates to reduce the water flow.
The victim’s body was found in the Trinity River around 8:11 p.m. by Wylie divers. His identity is being withheld pending notification to next of kin.
As summer is in full effect, North Texas authorities issued a safety warning in late June for boaters, kayakers, hikers, and swimmers after a string of lake emergencies.
Last month, a kayaker drowned in the Trinity River near Crandall. A few weeks before, a body was found floating in the Trinity River in Fort Worth. The two cases are not connected, police say.
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