Overland Park man found dead in Minnesota lake after vanishing from kayak

The body of an Overland Park man who went missing while kayaking in Minnesota was discovered Tuesday morning, according to police and family.

Shane White, 39, set out in a kayak from a rental home on Nest Lake around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota. The kayak was reported missing around 10:30 a.m. Sunday and was found empty three hours later.

A body was found in Nest Lake around 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson. Family identified the body as White by 9:30, his wife shared online.

“Shane has been found and is with our dear lord and savior,” Kim White wrote on Facebook. “Please continue to pray for all of us as we remember our dear Shane.”

Search underway for Overland Park kayaker missing on Minnesota lake

An electrical lineman who maintained and repaired power lines, White attended Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park. He was a proud father and previously played in a local band.

A second search conducted Monday included drones scoping the lake out from the sky, as well as rescue divers searching the bottom.

White was found by divers about 11 feet underwater on the southwest side of the lake.

His body will be transported to Anoka, Minnesota, for an autopsy as the sheriff’s office investigates his drowning.

Kim White’s daily update videos described an outpouring of empathy from residents of nearby Spicer, Minnesota, as the search reached their neighborhoods and backyards.

Kayaks were involved in 14% of fatal boating accidents in 2022, the most recent year of data available from the U.S. Coast Guard.