COLUMBUS, Ohio – The body of a Hilliard man was recovered yesterday from the western Franklin County pond where he drowned while kayaking Saturday.
Kyle Miller’s body was recovered Sunday afternoon by the Frankllin County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team in Darby Bend Lakes in the Prairie Oaks Metro Park during a second day of search efforts, Sheriff Zach Scott said.
Miller, 21, and Austin Gifford, 19, had been kayaking at the park Saturday when they entered the frigid water to try to save their dog.
Scott says Gifford tried several time to rescue Miller before witnesses pulled him from the water. He was treated at Doctors Hospital West and released, Scott says.
The dog did not survive.
Miller and Gifford’s kayak capsized just before noon on Saturday and authorities searched for the rest of the day before calling off their efforts due to the water’s depth, strong currents and cold weather, Scott says.
Counselors were being made available to students at Otterbein University, where Miller was a senior and Gifford was a sophomore.
The sheriff’s office divers were assisted by Columbus police, the Ohio Division of Watercraft, Metro Parks rangers and the Norwich Township Fire Department, Scott said.