Authorities recover bodies of Kansas City father, son last seen kayaking in Arkansas
The bodies of a Kansas City father and son who disappeared more than three weeks ago while kayaking in Arkansas were found Easter weekend, authorities said.
The remains of Chuck Morris, 47, and his son Charley, 20, were found 24 days after the men went missing at Beaver Lake in Arkansas, The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Sunday.
“Our family was informed by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office that Charley Morris has been found. We have concluded the cause of his death was drowning,” the family wrote in a statement Sunday on GoFundMe, before the sheriff’s office also announced Chuck’s body had also been found.
On Saturday, authorities said, Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team based out of Tennessee helped authorities search areas of the lake that were deeper than 180 feet, helping to ultimately find the men’s bodies.
A weeks-long search
Chuck and Charley disappeared just two days into their family’s spring break trip, after heading out to kayak ahead of a storm.
The search began March 16 in the area of S. Lost Bridge Village of Beaver Lake. After five days of rescue operations, the search effort became a recovery operation.
“The weather and other elements created a perfect storm on the lake, and in the lake, that was unsurvivable,” the family said in a statement shortly after their disappearance. “The community, authorities, and organizations that specialize in finding loved ones are continuing recovery efforts to bring Chuck and Charley home.”
The GoFundMe was started to help Chuck Morris’ wife and Charley’s mother Jennifer Thompson pay for search efforts, therapy and possible funeral services. As of Sunday, it’s raised nearly $195,000.
The surviving members of Lotus, Chuck’s electronic jam band, are planning a benefit concert for the Morris Family.
“While we are deeply grieving,” the band wrote in the days after the mens’ disappearance, “we plan to celebrate Chuck and Charley’s lives, our memories with them, and what they meant to so many people. Thank you to all who have reached out with fond words, stories, emotional and financial support.”
The Morris family moved to Kansas City from Denver in August. Their trip to Arkansas was an opportunity to reconnect as a family while Charley, a student at Ohio Wesleyan University, was on spring break.
In the days after their disappearance, Jennifer Thompson, Chuck’s wife and Charley’s mother, described her husband as a loving father and partner, and her son as a great friend who always believed in doing what’s right, even if it didn’t come with a reward.
“Our heart goes out the family of Chuck and Charley Morris and we are thankful today that we can help bring closure,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.
The sheriff’s office had assistance from agencies and volunteers as far away as Tennessee, Illinois, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
This story was originally published April 9, 2023 at 8:05 PM.
