The body of one of the Californian brothers who disappeared while duck hunting more than two weeks ago has been recovered, according to police.
Andruw and Wesley Cornett, 19 and 17, were last seen near the Thermalito Afterbay in Butte County on the morning of December 14.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) confirmed Tuesday evening that a body recovered earlier in the day had been identified as Andruw. Wesley has not yet been found.
BCSO spokesperson Megan McMann said SFGate that a sheriff’s office pilot made the grim discovery while flying over the area.
On Monday, before a body was found, the BCSO announced that their once extensive search and rescue efforts have shifted to search and recovery activities.
McMann told SFGate that efforts “shifted to an ongoing limited search for Andruw and Wesley Cornett on December 23, 2024. This will involve surface search methods including aircraft, drones, boats, on-shore vehicles and K9s.”
Wesley took to the water in a kayak to retrieve a duck he was hunting, but the boat capsized. Andruw jumped into the water to save his brother after calling 911.
Andruw called at 8:33 a.m. and the first deputy arrived 14 minutes later. By 8:55 a.m., Cal Fire’s water rescue unit had arrived.
Andruw and Wesley Cornett, 19 and 17, were last seen near the Thermalito Afterbay in Butte County on the morning of December 14
A sheriff’s office pilot spotted Andruw’s body Tuesday morning
Search teams have been scouring the water for more than two weeks since they disappeared
Search teams have been scouring the water for more than two weeks since they disappeared
A deputy spotted the kayak and possible victim at 9:02 a.m. and responders took to the water and searched the area just seven minutes later.
Shortly afterwards, the kayak and other hunting equipment were spotted, but the teens were nowhere to be found.
More than a week after they disappeared, diligent search efforts continued.
The BCSO wrote on December 21: “Approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations have been searching for Wesley and Andruw Cornett since last Saturday, the day the two brothers went missing while duck hunting at the Thermalito Afterbay.”
But the search efforts, conducted by deputies, detectives, the BCSO Aviation and Marine Unit and BCSO Search and Rescue, were challenging.
In a video posted on December 21 documenting these search efforts, Jeff Eggleson of Big Valley Divers said, “The hardest thing we have is getting through the weeds.
“We have the culvert on the bottom, it’s in about 15 feet of water and the weeds range from about 3 feet to about 10 feet of weeds.
“So the hardest part is getting through that.”
Dive and search teams have searched intensively for the brothers since they went missing, but after about a week authorities declared they were conducting search and recovery efforts.
Brother’s devastated mother said she will ‘also have to make plans to put my two boys to rest’
He added that these weeds hampered the effectiveness of the Sound Navigation and Ranging (Sonar) technology that could help locate the teenagers.
Eggleson highlighted another obstacle: the poor visibility of the water.
“The visibility is very low, so it ranges from about fifteen to about four, five, six feet.”
As law enforcement agencies began winding down their search efforts, the teens’ parents are being asked for volunteers to continue the search.
Jared Foster, a member of the nonprofit search team Angels Recovery, said in a Dec. 22 Facebook video with the brother’s parents, “Here we are, going into the holidays and we’re still looking for them two sons.
“Volunteer divers are continuing, so if you’re in this area or close by and you have a boat with sonar and camera equipment, if you’re a diver, we need more people on the water.”
“This is a freak accident that my family and I are trying to wrap our heads around,” Clark wrote.
April Clark, the teens’ mother, created a GoFundMe page when her son went missing.
April Clark said the ‘freak accident’ that left her sons missing has shocked her entire family
The weeds in the area searched range from about three feet to about three feet
She wrote on Dec. 21, “The sheriff says this is now a search and recovery, so I will also have to make plans to lay my two boys to rest.
“This is a freak accident that my family and I are trying to wrap our heads around.”
Clark has received more than $42,000 in donations.
A candlelight vigil was held in honor of the teenagers on Saturday, with several hundred people participating.