Found Deceased TX - Ryan Kennedy, adult, Fritch, Lake Meredith, 15 Dec 2019

[Detectivediva]

FRITCH, Texas (KFDA) - Rangers and game wardens continue to search for a man who went missing Sunday night after hunting at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.

According to officials, Ryan Kennedy went hunting and camping on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon after 5:00 p.m., he called his family to tell them he had killed a deer at Lake Meredith and would be heading home.

However, he did not return home, officials said. That night, rangers found the man’s truck and boat trailer, but there was no sign of the man or the boat.


Source: Rangers searching for missing man at Lake Meredith

Search and Rescue page with updates: Ryan Kennedy Search and Rescue

 

[mlhenn]

Crews continue searching for missing man at Lake Meredith 2 weeks later

Reported missing on Sunday, Dec 15, 2019 after not returning home from a hunting trip at Lake Meredith.
Last heard from around 5:30pm stating he killed a deer and was heading home.

Lake Meredith Recreation Area Superintendent Eric Smith said while his truck, boat trailer and camping items have been located, he and his boat are still missing.

Rangers have been out every day since searching for him.

 

[mlhenn]

Crews continue searching for missing man at Lake Meredith 2 weeks later

 

[mlhenn]

Search for missing camper at Lake Meredith continues for 3rd day

Because of the high winds the night Ryan Kennedy went missing, if his boat were underwater, it could be anywhere.

The items found in the water belonging to Kennedy were not in the direct path of where he would have been crossing, but they were found further south. Officials say this is most likely due to the high winds coming out of the north that night.

The deer he had killed was found in the water with the rest of the personal items.

 

[mlhenn]

Search underway at Lake Meredith for missing man

This link states park officials were notified around 11:15pm that Ryan was hunting/camping there but failed to show up at home.

I wonder how far he lived from Lake Meredith? I ask because I wonder what time they expected him home by if he called at 5:15pm and officials were notified at 11:15pm.

 

[JerseyGirl]

New technology being brought in to help search for missing man at Lake Meredith

 

[Detectivediva]

Search underway at Lake Meredith for missing man

This link states park officials were notified around 11:15pm that Ryan was hunting/camping there but failed to show up at home.

I wonder how far he lived from Lake Meredith? I ask because I wonder what time they expected him home by if he called at 5:15pm and officials were notified at 11:15pm.

That's a great question. I'm also wondering how big the lake is. Very sad for this gentleman. He was prolly so happy about getting his deer and then the winds must've overturned the boat and his last moments were prolly not pleasant.

 

[GraceG]

N

That's a great question. I'm also wondering how big the lake is. Very sad for this gentleman. He was prolly so happy about getting his deer and then the winds must've overturned the boat and his last moments were prolly not pleasant.

Yes, you are indeed correct. He probably was in a hurry to get his deer back to his vehicle before the weather got worse. I have hunted and I understand the adrenaline rush of bagging a deer and wanting to get it home and field dressed for food for the table. My thoughts go out to his family.

 

[mlhenn]

Search continues through the holidays at Lake Meredith

“We haven’t put divers in the water because the area is so large and we haven’t had an area to put them down on,” said Eric Smith, superintendent at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. “We don’t have a target to start the underwater search.”


Which complicates the search for a missing person and a missing boat as the NPS doesn’t have a definitive point last seen. They just have an area where he camped at and an area where his truck and trailer were parked. It’s an area the NPS believes he was heading to after he made a phone call.

“There’s a large distance in between those points and we have just so far been unable to locate the boat, which is why we're looking to bring in those additional resources,” said Smith.

 

[jellybean96]

Search underway at Lake Meredith for missing man

This link states park officials were notified around 11:15pm that Ryan was hunting/camping there but failed to show up at home.

I wonder how far he lived from Lake Meredith? I ask because I wonder what time they expected him home by if he called at 5:15pm and officials were notified at 11:15pm.

I am local - Ryan is from Amarillo and that is about 45 miles from Lake Meredith. The way the wind is on the lake - because of the cliffs all along the side - the wind is basically in a tunnel, whipping and causing chaos. Its very well known around here to not get on the water if there is any potential of wind changing. Its just so dangerous.

Just so you can know more about Ryan - he is a paramedic on our Apollo MedFlight. He's one of the good guys. Here is his FB for him missing: Ryan Kennedy Search and Rescue

 

[jellybean96]

That's a great question. I'm also wondering how big the lake is. Very sad for this gentleman. He was prolly so happy about getting his deer and then the winds must've overturned the boat and his last moments were prolly not pleasant.

The lake itself has a surface area of 16,411 acres. Its about 75 feet deep in most places, I'd say.

 

[jellybean96]

According to his missing page, a side sonar was brought in today. Ryan Kennedy Search and Rescue

 

[mlhenn]

I am local - Ryan is from Amarillo and that is about 45 miles from Lake Meredith. The way the wind is on the lake - because of the cliffs all along the side - the wind is basically in a tunnel, whipping and causing chaos. Its very well known around here to not get on the water if there is any potential of wind changing. Its just so dangerous.

Just so you can know more about Ryan - he is a paramedic on our Apollo MedFlight. He's one of the good guys. Here is his FB for him missing: Ryan Kennedy Search and Rescue

Thanks for sharing info! I believe I read in one of the articles about how the wind can become problematic when on the lake at times.
I hope there are answers soon, esp for family.

 

[jellybean96]

Thanks for sharing info! I believe I read in one of the articles about how the wind can become problematic when on the lake at times.
I hope there are answers soon, esp for family.

The wind is a very dangerous thing. We frequently go to the lake with our boat and if there is any chance of wind we wont go.

I found an old article about what the water is like for swimmers.

Risks of swimming from dusk to dawn at Lake Meredith

snipped:

The National Park Service (NPS) wants to remind people who are swimming at Lake Meredith either during the day or at night to monitor the weather closely. The conditions of the weather can change in a matter of minutes.

“The winds coming off these storms can be from variable directions and where you find yourself in a sheltered cove, one minute later it’s not sheltered,” said Smith. “The winds change directions and you got high surface winds and dangers to swim in.”

Another factor that can present a danger to even an avid swimmer while swimming at day or at night is what lies below the surface. The lake level as of Wednesday measured in at 76.00 feet. Trees and branches near the shore or around coves can cause swimmers to become entangled just a few feet under.

“If your swimming down deep as you breach the surface and get underwater very far there’s a lot of brush and trees,” said Smith. “You can get hung up, so that’s something to be aware of while swimming at Lake Meredith.”

 

[jellybean96]

Officials: Boat found at Lake Meredith could be missing man’s

His boat may have been found.

 

[Detectivediva]

Officials: Boat found at Lake Meredith could be missing man’s

His boat may have been found.

Thank you so much for posting the new article. It says the boat was found on the bottom of the lake. How sad. The winds must've been really bad to turn the boat over and force it down. It must've been a rather small boat.

 

[jellybean96]

Thank you so much for posting the new article. It says the boat was found on the bottom of the lake. How sad. The winds must've been really bad to turn the boat over and force it down. It must've been a rather small boat.

The wind was bad - but there is also tons of growth (trees, stumps, etc) under the water that you cant see (even on a good day). Id be surprised if his boat wasn't caught up on something under water and then add the wind, and its a no-win situation.

 

[jellybean96]

Officials: Boat found during search did not belong to missing man

Not his boat. Search is suspended for today.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

WS lagging today but I will try again to post. Reminds me of Lena Lang, in WA. Water is powerful stuff. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-lake-27-may-2019.447800/page-4#post-15117219

 

[mlhenn]

Lake Meredith, Texas - Community and Visitors Guide

I came across this site. It includes any articles or news related to the search. It also offers current weather conditions (including wind) for Lake Meredith, water levels, alerts, etc.
*May be helpful