Body of missing kayaker recovered from Rappahannock
James Baron
THE FREDRICKSBURG, VA FREE LANCE–STAR
Sept 1, 2020
On Monday, teams search the Rappahannock River for a
missing kayaker. His body was found Tuesday. Search teams have recovered the body of the kayaker who went
missing Sunday afternoon on the Rappahannock River. Brandon Childs, 40, of
Spotsylvania County, was located Tuesday about 1:30 p.m. near Fox Spring Bend
on the Rappahannock, according to Paige Pearson, spokesperson for the Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources.
“Fox Spring Bend is near the Belvedere Plantation, about
eight river miles downstream from the City Dock,” said Adam Lynch, a river
steward with the Friends of the Rappahannock.
Pearson said Childs was not wearing a personal flotation
device at the time of his recovery and one was not found in his kayak.
Pearson said Childs had departed the Fredericksburg City
Dock on Sunday afternoon along with a female companion in a separate kayak.
Shortly after the journey began, the woman experienced difficulty controlling
her craft in the current. Childs maneuvered closer to the woman in an attempt
to help bring her back on course, when his own kayak flipped.
Pearson said Childs initially recovered from the mishap and
held on to the kayak briefly, but let go. The woman returned safely to shore. The
incident remains under investigation.
