Kayaker found dead on Lake Buchanan
Black Rock Park on Lake Buchanan in Llano County. File photo
Law enforcement found the body of a kayaker on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 31, near Black Rock Park on Lake Buchanan in Llano County. The man died in an apparent drowning, according to officials.
A 911 call at around 8 p.m. Saturday reported the kayaker missing when he did not return to the park after going fishing on the lake earlier in the day. Multiple agencies responded to the scene but did not find him that night.
The missing man’s body and kayak were found by drone early Sunday morning, about 400 yards from where he had been staying at Black Rock Park, a Lower Colorado River Authority-owned site on the southwest side of Lake Buchanan, 3400 Texas 261 in Buchanan Dam.
The man had not been publicly identified as of Tuesday afternoon but was not a Highland Lakes resident, according to officials.
While an exact cause of death has not been released, and there are no theories as to what exactly led up to the death, it is believed to have been a drowning. The victim was not wearing a life jacket at the time, something Buchanan Volunteer Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Ward believes might have contributed to the tragedy.
“We have never pulled anybody dead out of the lake that was wearing a life jacket,” Ward told DailyTrib.com. “Life jackets, life jackets, life jackets—no matter what.”
Buchanan VFD was aided by the Llano County Sheriff’s Office, Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens, LCRA rangers, Cassie VFD, and East Lake VFD in the search.