Two Flathead County teenagers who went missing after their kayak capsized in Swan Lake last week have been recovered by search and rescue teams, according to Lake County Sheriff Don Bell.
Search teams located Mckenzye Joyce Fabeck, 19, and Nate Robert Spoklie, 18, days after they went missing on April 14 at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Fabeck’s body was recovered on April 17 from Swan Lake where she was located 86 feet deep. Spoklie’s body was recovered the following morning a “distance” away from Fabeck’s and was also at a depth of 86 feet.
A witness called dispatch when a gust of wind caused the kayak to capsize about 1,000 feet from the shore, Bell said, and a Swan Mission Search and Rescue team was at the scene within 17 minutes.
The temperature in Swan Lake at the time of the incident was 39 degrees while the air temperature was 20 degrees and the victims were not wearing life jackets, according to Bell.
“Survivability would have been pretty tough” Bell said. “But it would have been better if they were wearing life jackets.”
Bell reminds recreationists to wear a life jacket on the water and a dry suit in cold conditions.
Search and rescue teams from the Flathead County and Lake County sheriff’s offices assisted with the search.