The body of a missing 38-year-old fisherman from Florida was found by a commercial vessel on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
Nik Kayler, an army veteran, husband, and father, went missing during a fishing tournament on Lake Okeechobee last Thursday on Jan. 4. His story gained widespread attention after it was first reported.
“It’s been rough, but we got him home,” Nik’s brother, Phil Kayler said. “It’s not what we would have liked, but we’re at ease right now,” the newspaper reported.
According to CBS12, Kayler vanished after strong waves knocked him out of the boat he was on during the first day of the Fishing League Worldwide’s three-day Costa Series tournament on Thursday.His fellow angler, Bill Kisiah, 51, was also knocked into the waves but managed to get back on.
“Both of them were ejected in the water,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Carol Lyn Parris told the newspaper. “He (Kisiah) was able to get back into the boat. He got the boat to Pahokee Marina.”
Kisiah tried to save Kayler but was unable to.
Tournament organizers canceled the rest of the bass-fishing event on Friday.
Authorities, fellow boaters, and volunteers frantically searched the large lake since last week. According to the Palm Beach Post, the lake is about one-third as big as all of Palm Beach County.
On Monday, Jan. 8, a former water survival instructor said he was still holding out hope on Kayler’s status. Anthony Llanos said Kayler had undergone survival training and survived a similar stranding a few years back. He added that Kayler was also in top shape.
According to the Palm Beach Post, the money-raising page collected over $20,000 in one day. By Wednesday afternoon, it was over $42,349.
“For the people that can’t help look I’m sure everything is appreciated. Let’s show our support and take something off his family’s mind,” the page’s description states.
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