Searchers have recovered the body of a man from the Kuskokwim River who died when a four-wheeler he was operating went into the water through a hole more than a week ago, according to Bethel Search and Rescue.
The body of 32-year-old Adrian “Aya” Andrew, who was originally from Kwigillingok, was discovered by a small group of searchers under the ice in the area where travelers frequently cross the river between Napaskiak and Oscarville.
Andrew is believed to have driven into an open hole in the ice on the evening of Nov. 15. He was reported missing by another man he was traveling with at the time, who reported seeing tire tracks leading into the open water and seeing Andrew’s submerged four-wheeler.
Over the nine-day search effort, volunteers made use of underwater cameras and sonar equipment, and used chainsaws to cut trenches in the river ice so that drag bars could be lowered into the water.
On Sunday, Bethel Search and Rescue called off the larger-scale search due to hazardous ice conditions and freezing rain. But a smaller team that decided to continue the search with electronic devices ultimately discovered Andrew’s body when they spotted an irregular shape under the ice, according to Bethel Search and Rescue member Earl Samuelson.
Dozens of volunteers from Napaskiak, Napakiak, Kasigluk, Kwethluk, and Bethel all came out to support the search effort.
Bethel Search and Rescue said that Andrew’s next of kin have been notified, and that his body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage.