Saturday, May 7, 2016

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Cynthia Sequanna, 928-608-6356, Cynthia_Sequanna@nps.gov

Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Alan Alldredge, 435-644-2349, aalldredgekcso@kanab.net

Drowning Victim Recovered Near Lone Rock

PAGE, AZ – A multi-agency search for 51 year-old Allen Robert Delay of Lewistown, Montana concluded on May 6 when his body was located near Lone Rock in the Kane County portion of Wahweap Bay in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Utah Department of Public Safety Dive team located his body at 4:35 p.m. MST using side-scan sonar. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Underwater Recovery Unit successfully retrieved his body at 6:51 p.m. MST using a submerged Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) from a depth of 74 feet. The body was turned over to Kane County Sheriff’s Office Medical Investigator, and was transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On May 5, 2016, Delay was camping with his wife on Lone Rock Beach and took an inflatable kayak out for a paddle. As winds increased he ended up overboard. Delay was not wearing a life jacket.  Pleas for help were heard by other campers and National Park Service staff from Lone Rock Beach. At 1:49 p.m. MST. National Park Service Glen Canyon Dispatch received multiple calls from Lone Rock Beach reporting a person in distress, and possibly drowning. Delay disappeared underwater and did not resurface. Initial search efforts were conducted during high winds by the National Park Service, Utah State Parks, Classic Life Guard Aviation, and Greenhaven Fire Department. No recovery was made on May 5.

On the morning of May 6, weather hampered the search effort. By 2:00 p.m. MST the Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team arrived and weather conditions improved enough to resume the search using side-scan sonar. Combined teamwork and support from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, National Park Service, Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team, Utah State Parks, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Classic Life Guard Aviation, Greenhaven Fire Department, and the Bigwater Marshal’s Office resulted in locating and recovering the body before sunset on May 6. “Search and recovery efforts concluded in 29 hours thanks to invaluable multi-agency support and collaboration,” said Acting Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Superintendent Billy Shott. 


All boaters are reminded to be aware of changing weather conditions and wear life jackets when boating and recreating on or around water.  

Friday, May 6, 2016



                                                       

Kane County/Glen Canyon News Release

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Cynthia Sequanna, 928-608-6356, Cynthia_Sequanna@nps.gov
Kane County Sheriff’s Office: Alan Alldredge, 435-644-2349, aalldredgekcso@kanab.net

Multi-agency Search near Lone Rock

PAGE, AZ – On May 5, 2016, at 1:49 p.m., National Park Service Glen Canyon Dispatch received multiple calls from Lone Rock Beach reporting a person in distress, and possibly drowning. The 51 year-old male did not resurface. The incident occurred near Lone Rock in the Kane County portion of Wahweap Bay in Lake Powell.

Initial search efforts were conducted during high winds by the National Park Service, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Utah State Parks, Classic Life Guard Aviation, and Greenhaven Fire Department. No recovery was made on May 5th, and search efforts will continue with additional support from the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team.  

Multi-Agency search efforts continue on May 6, weather permitting, along the shoreline and using side-scan sonar to search a ¼ square mile of area approximately 78 feet deep. Boaters are reminded to stay clear of search operations and search boats in the Lone Rock area, and maintain wakeless speeds in marked wakeless zones and corridors.


A joint investigation is being conducted by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Utah State Parks and the National Park Service.