Victim was floating on the Mulberry River with a group of people in an open-top kayak.  Victim became separated from the group for a brief period.  The group pulled up on the bank near Redding Camp Grounds.  Witnesses stated the victim had his PFD on before they got separated.  While waiting for him to catch up, the group saw the vicitm overturn and heard him yelling for help.  A witness headed to his location and according to his statement, the victim was holding onto his paddle, trying to keep his head above the water.  When he reached the victim, the victim let go of the paddle and went under water.  The witness tried diving into the water where the victim was last seen but could not locate him.  The rest of the group was able to recover the kayak and the victim's PFD down stream.  

Victim was recovered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Dive Team at a depth of about 9ft on 05/08/11 at 19:15 hours.

The group stated the victim had been drinking alcohol all day and could have been intoxicated at the time of the accident.  A blood sample was taken from the body once recovered and sent to the State Crime Lab.  To date, results are still pending.
CASS                          