Man's body found 394 feet below lake's surface after kayaking trip with fiancée
The body of a man who went missing on a kayaking trip with his new fiancée has been found 394 feet below the surface of the lake where he vanished.
37-year-old Travis Valenti's body was recovered on Wednesday night, June 21, from Lake Crescent at Olympic National Park in Washington State at around 6.25pm.
Following an initial search by the National Park Service, a non-profit organisation called Christian Aid Ministries had started their own search of the lake at around 8am on Wednesday, using boat-mounted sonar technology.
The group, from Berlin, Ohio, came across a high-possibility sign that they had found Travis' body which they then notified the park of. Rangers were dispatched to meet the group on the lake and a remote-operated vehicle was used to locate Travis, from Massapequa.
Travis plunged into the freezing waters after his kayak tipped on Lake Crescent (Travis Valenti/Facebook)Christian Aid Ministries then used the vehicle's grabber tool to bring his body to the surface.
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The coroner's office was notified, as was his family.
Travis was out kayaking on the lake on June 9 with fiancée Marlene Junker when his kayak began to take on water.
He was last seen at around 2.10pm local time when his kayak overturned.
Marlene tried to help her fiancé, who she had been engaged to for just two days, out of the frigid water. However, she was forced to swim to shore when her own kayak tipped.
Travis and Marlene got engaged two days before he disappeared into the lake (Travis Valenti/Facebook)Travis' brother, Austin, said he had pushed his bride-to-be to safety before ending up disappearing in the water.
Speaking to News12 Long Island, he said: "It started out as the best trip of their lives and took just a tragic turn that nobody could really see coming.
"Travis gave [Marlene] the extra little push that she needed to get safe."
Friends of Travis' family set up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of additional searches. As of Sunday, June 25, it had more than tripled its target of $20,000.
In an update, one of the organisers wrote: "Travis Valenti's body has been found after Christian Aid Ministries oversaw the search and recovery. We are eternally grateful for their support and service.
Travis' brother said he gave Marlene the final push to get her back to shore (@GoFundMarlene/Venmo)"This is still a very sensitive and emotionally charged time for his beautiful fiancée, parents, siblings, family and countless friends who care about and love Travis. Thankfully, Travis will be able to eventually come back home and be laid to eternal rest."
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The National Park Service said neither one of the couple were wearing life jackets when the incident happened. Travis was around a quarter of a mile offshore at a depth of 400 to 500 feet when his kayak tipped.
Workers at the nearby Log Cabin Resort quickly mobilised a motorised vessel, heading out to Travis' last known location, but were unable to find him. Rangers searched for more than two hours, but were unable to locate him.
"He was just everybody's favourite guy, including Marlene's and all of ours, they were just a beautiful couple, and they had this beautiful life planned out and it just gets cut so short out of nowhere," Austin said.
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