Deputies Use Social Media to Help Contact Kayaker’s Family After Body Recovered from Banks Lake

The Grant County Sheriff's Office is letting the public know about the recovery of a kayaker's body after using social media to contact family members.

PIO Kyle Forman says deputies posted a message that they were searching for 51-year-old Kelly Burkhart of Nespelem when his friends could not help them find relatives.

“Friends of his relatives were able to see our Facebook posts and then reach out to the family members of Kelly that we weren’t able to get in touch with, except through notifying the public on social media,” said Foreman.

The body of Burkhart was recovered from Banks Lake near Coulee City Friday after he initially disappeared on September 27.

He was first reported missing after failing to meet up with fellow kayakers when waters became choppy.

Investigators do not think foul play was involved in Burkhart’s death. In fact, the discovery of Burkhart's kayak and life jacket on the lakeshore on September 29, two days after he first went missing, led them to suspect an accident had occurred.

“It appears that the life jacket was stowed in the kayak and that he was not wearing it,” Foreman said. “So he wasn’t wearing it (and) it came off, or he wasn’t wearing it, he took it off. His friends did not recall him having the life jacket on when he set out to kayak,”

Burkhart's body has been taken to the Grant County Coroner’s Office where an autopsy will be conducted.