Brian Lizer Kayak august 23 no pfd
Searchers find body of kayaker on Knik River
By Anchorage Daily News
August 24, 2022
The body of a kayaker missing since Tuesday was located Saturday in the Knik River, Alaska State Troopers said. A pilot flying in the area in a private aircraft reported after 5 p.m. finding a body near Wolf Point on the northern side of Knik River southeast of Palmer, according to the report. The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team and troopers responded to the scene at about 7:30 p.m.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the recovered remains were of Brian Lizer, 46. The office is in the process of determining the cause of his death, troopers’ spokesperson Timothy Despain said.
Rescue teams had been searching the Knik River for Lizer after his kayak flipped over Tuesday, troopers said. Troopers received a report around 6 p.m. Tuesday of a missing boater about 3 miles downstream from Knik Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Lizer was trying to cross the Knik River in a kayak to retrieve a boat that had drifted across, troopers wrote in an online report.
Lizer’s kayak overturned shortly after he left the shore, troopers said, and people watching from the shore didn’t see him resurface. They told authorities Lizer hadn’t been wearing a flotation device, troopers wrote.
Rescue divers with Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services responded to the area while Alaska Wildlife Troopers patrolled the river with a helicopter, according to troopers. Troopers were only able to find Lizer’s empty kayak, they said.
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Alaska State Troopers
Report AK22087913
Location: Knik River
Type: Search and Rescue
Dispatch Text:
UPDATE: On August 27, 2022 at 5:12 pm, Alaska State Troopers received a report that a pilot flying in the area of the Knik River in a private aircraft located what appeared to be a body in the water near Wolf Point. The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team responded and located the body at approximately 7:30 pm. Alaska State Troopers and the State Medical Examiner’s Office responded and confirmed the recovered remains were that of Brian Lizer. The SME took possession of the body. Next of Kin was notified.
UPDATE: Friday August 26, 2022. The search for Brian Lizer will go forward as a limited, reactive search. If new clues or information are reported to law enforcement, search efforts will be evaluated at that time.
UPDATE: On Wednesday August 24 and Thursday August 25, Troopers utilizing a Department of Public Safety helicopter, continued to search the Knik River downstream from where Brian Lizer was last seen entering the River. At this time there have been no new developments in this search.
On August 23, 2022, at approximately 6:00 pm, the Alaska State Troopers received a report of a missing boater approximately 3 miles downstream from the Knik Glacier. Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to the area in HELO 5. Troopers learned that 46-year-old Brian Lizer was attempting to use a kayak to cross the Knik River to retrieve a boat that had drifted across the river. Shortly after leaving the shore, the kayak overturned, and Lizer was not seen again by individuals watching from shore; witnesses report that he was not wearing a PFD. Wildlife Troopers patrolled the river from HELO 5, and rescue divers from the Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services were staged in the area. Troopers searched the area for multiple hours and were only able to find his empty kayak. On August 24, 2022, DPS HELO 3 will deploy to continue to search the area from the air. High water levels and poor visibility are preventing the use of sonar or dive teams in the area.
