An Alaska man is presumed to have drowned on a glacial lake after authorities recovered footage from a helmet-mounted GoPro that appeared to reveal his fate. But his body remains missing.
Paul Rodriguez Jr., 43, of Juneau, drowned July 11 when his kayak overturned at Mendenhall Lake at the foot of the Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement.
A passerby found a lone kayak at the lake July 11, but it had no identifying markings, troopers said. The individual reported there was no one in or around the lake in distress.
While teams are continuing to search the lake for the body of Rodriguez, troopers said a good Samaritan discovered a GoPro camera mounted on a helmet on the shore and turned it over to authorities. The camera was confirmed to have belonged to Rodriguez.
Juneau Police said the department received a report Sunday from U.S. Forest Service employees about a vehicle parked at the recreation area since July 11 and determined it was registered to Rodriguez.
Rodriguez’s roommate reported last seeing him July 10, according to police, and friends said a social media post by Rodriguez July 11 showed a kayak on a beach that appeared to be near Nugget Falls, which is in the recreation area along the lake.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.