Officials recover body of kayaker who went missing near Lake Wales

Officials have recovered the body of a kayaker who was reported missing in Polk County early Monday morning.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the man went out onto Lake Annie in the Waverly Area near Lake Wales around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Around 5 p.m., his friends went to look for him in a canoe and found the empty kayak turned upside down on the water.

His friends then reported him missing around 3:30 a.m. on Monday.

Boats from PCSO and Polk County Fire Rescue went out to search for the victim and eventually found his body floating in the lake. He was later identified as 40-year-old Shane Park.

The body was delivered to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. Deputies are conducting a death investigation to determine what led up to the incident.

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