The coroner’s office in Clermont County, Ohio, has identified a missing kayaker whose body was recovered from the Ohio River after days of searching.
Crews initially responded to a call at the Ohio River near U.S. Route 52 in New Richmond, Ohio, at around 4 p.m. Thursday after a report that two kayakers had fallen into the river.
New Richmond Fire Chief Tim Feldkamp said one person was pulled from the water and was uninjured, but a second person — identified as 28-year-old Zeidana Malek of Erlanger, Kentucky — had gone missing.
After days of searching, New Richmond Fire and EMS reported just around noon Sunday that they recovered a body near mile marker 449.1 along the Ohio River.
Andy Chow of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed the body was that of the missing kayaker, and the body was taken to the Clermont County Coroner’s Office.
The coroner’s office on Monday positively identified Malek as the missing kayaker. Officials said the details of his death remain under investigation by department of natural resources.
