Body of Teen Who Went Missing with Brother During Duck Hunting Trip Found, Brother Remains Missing

Mar. 15, 2025

Wesley and Andruw Cornett, the teens who went missing while duck hunting.Photo:California Missing Person Unit

California Missing Person Unit

The body of one of two teenage brothers who went missingon a duck hunting trip in rural Northern Californiain December has been recovered, authorities said.

He and his 17-year-old brother, Wesley Cornett, went missing on Dec. 14, Butte County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in anews releaseon Facebook.

“At approximately 9:30 a.m., the BCSO pilot [flying in the area] spotted a body in the north side of the Afterbay, within the original search area,” the sheriff’s office said. “The BCSO Marine Unit and Butte County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue immediately responded and recovered the body. The decedent has been positively identified as Andruw Cornett, and next-of-kin has been notified.”

The update comes after the BSCO previouslyconfirmedthat their initial search and rescue efforts to find the two brothers had “shifted to a limited search” and was more focused on recovering their bodies.

Wesley and Andruw Cornett pose while hunting.Butte County Sheriff’s Office

Butte County Sheriff’s Office

“This involves surface search methods, including aircraft, drones, boats, on-shore vehicles and K9s,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Megan McCann toldSFGATE.

Sgt. Brian Evans, a member of the sheriff’s marine unit, told ABC affiliateKRCRon Dec. 17 that the search operation was “now … a recovery,"

Andruw and Wesley first went missing after the younger teen “overturned on a kayak and the other one swam into the water to try and help” in the Afterbay on Dec. 14., according to authorities.

Andruw called 911 at 8:33 a.m. local time to report the incident and said that he was going into the water to save his brother.

Both brothers were not wearing life jackets at the time, according to authorities.

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Search team looks for brothers Wesley and Andruw Cornett.Butte County Sheriff’s Office

A multi-agency search commenced.

On Dec. 17, sheriff’s officials wrote that they “are not requesting assistance from the public.” During the search operation, they also sharedvideoof their work, including footage of the team on boats, and a photo of the brothers.

Divers found Andruw’s pants three days after he and his brother disappeared in the water. In the next few days, Wesley’s wallet was also found, along with his jacket containing his cell phone.

After it was reported that the search had become more targeted, the brothers’ mother, April Clark, wrote on aGoFundMepage that she “plan[s] to lay my two boys to rest.”

“This is hard for me to write as I’m beyond broken into so many pieces. If you can please find it in your heart to donate and help our family find and lay my handsome two young boys to rest, any amount of support will forever be blessed for our family,” she wrote.

The page so far has raised about $43,000 with a goal of $45, 000.

source: people.com