HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — Searchers have located the body of a father who went missing after a canoe accident on Chassahowitzka Bay in Hernando County, deputies say.
Boaters rescued the man's 17-year-old son who was transported to a nearby hospital where he is currently recovering, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said in an updated news release.
Authorities say detectives with the sheriff's office's Major Case Unit responded to the scene and are investigating the incident.
Just before 4 p.m., officials say boaters saw a canoe circling the bay with no one inside.
Deputies say the boaters quickly found the teen hanging onto a floating marker. The teen then told the boaters that he and his father had fallen out of the canoe. However, the boaters were not able to find his father.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office assisted the Hernando County Sheriff's Office with the search and provided boats and helicopters to look for the father, the news release mentions. The FWC also brought in sonar and a dive team from the agency responded to the scene as well.
Law enforcement has not yet identified the father or his teenage son and they have not said where the father's body was found.
The investigation of the incident remains ongoing, deputies say.