Search for Chuck Morris, musician from band Lotus, and son scaled back
UPDATE: Bodies of Lotus drummer Chuck Morris and son recovered 24 days after Arkansas kayak trip
The search in and around an Arkansas body of water for musician Chuck Morris and his son Charley has been scaled back. The elder Morris, 47, plays percussion in the popular band Lotus, which is partially based out of Denver.
The two were kayaking on Beaver Lake in northwestern Arkansas earlier this month before being reported missing.
On Thursday the Benton County Sheriff's Office said a decision was made earlier in the week to reduce the number of resources devoted to trying to find the pair. They did say that they are continuing recovery efforts on a lesser scale "in hopes of bringing Chuck and Charley home."
The Morrises were reported missing on a windy March 16. After the search was launched, rescue crews located two kayaks.
A Facebook post from the sheriff's office described the start of the search in the following way:
The Benton County Sheriff's Office received call in regards to two missing kayakers on Beaver Lake. Charles Morris IV (Chuck-Father) and Charles Morris V (Charley-son) were have believed to gone kayaking around 11am Thursday morning and to return around 2pm. Around 4pm Chuck's wife began to worry and contacted the Benton County Sheriff's Office. At this time the weather and storms had picked up causing wind gusts of up to 35mph. Immediately upon receiving the call, deputies began searching the area of Beaver Lake known as Lost Bridge Village and an investigation was launched. During the investigation two kayaks were located in the water and a jacket that was identified by the family.
"Our heart goes out the family of Chuck and Charley Morris during this horrific time," the sheriff's office wrote.
Chuck Morris' band Lotus is an jam band and tours the country regularly, often playing music festivals to huge crowds. The band was formed over 20 years ago in Indiana but are based out of Colorado and Philadelphia.
In a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family, the organizer said this week that "support and generosity of the worldwide community has been immense" since news of the tragedy began to spread.
