KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Authorities have recovered the body of a missing kayaker on the Trinity River near Crandall and Combine.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Authorities have recovered the body of a missing kayaker on the Trinity River near Crandall and Combine.
The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a possible missing person at U.S. Highway 175 and the Trinity River in Crandall on Sunday, June 23, 2024, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Family members reported that Anthony Villarreal, an adult male, had been missing since Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
On June 22, 2024, family members found Villarreal's vehicle under the U.S. Highway 175 bridge at the Trinity River in Crandall, where he had previously kayaked.
The Crandall Fire Department requested assistance from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team, who responded to the scene. Deputies also requested assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety Helicopter (DPS-101), which quickly located Villarreal’s kayak approximately six miles south of the U.S. 175 bridge, tangled in trees.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team launched a boat from the FM 3039 bridge between Crandall and Combine. Villarreal’s body was found approximately 300 yards north of the FM 3039 bridge. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Judge Bardin and was sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will lead the primary investigation, as Villarreal is believed to have drowned on a public waterway.