Mr. Rios left his group at Campbell Cemetary and paddled downstream alone to Mill Creek Access 13 milkes downstream. Authorities were called after he failed to appear. Water level was high; several rapids were en route. Boat found with PFD inside.
Search continues for missing kayaker on The Mulberry River
by: Reagan Wynn, Kyler Swaim, Dylan Neuner
May 7, 2025
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is assisting in the search for a kayaker who went missing along the Mulberry River in Franklin County. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is leading the operation with support from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and the Franklin County Search and Rescue team.
According to AGFC, a dive team is scheduled to arrive at the river the morning of May 8 to aid in the search efforts. The Chief Communications Officer for the AGFC, Keith Stephens said their team is still in the search and rescue phase. “You don’t want to have, you know, an outcome that is not actually finding somebody alive. We’re still looking, you just don’t know at this point. If it’s a recovery or just a search. Right now, we’re still on that search phase.” Stephens said.
AGFC said they found the kayak of the missing person, and the kayaker took photos and posted them on social media while on the water. The commission got the photos and began looking at the places where the photos were taken.
Stephens said the missing kayak and photos helped narrowed down the dive team’s search. “We found his kayak and looked on his phone and found several pictures that he had taken. So, we were able to find those spots where those last pictures were taken, and that’s where the search started,” Stephens said.
A spokesperson for AGFC said the Mulberry River was high on May 3 when the kayaker went missing. Officials have not yet released the identity of the missing kayaker or the circumstances leading up to their disappearance.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, AR: Search crews found a kayaker's body on a bank of the Mulberry River in Franklin County at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 8th. according to Keith Stephens, Arkansas Game and Fish chief communications officer. Hector Rios, 57, of Wichita, Kansas, had been missing since Saturday, according to Stephens. The Franklin County Search and Rescue Team found Rios' body under some brush north of Mill Creek in an area known as "the shoe." Rios' life jacket was found with his kayak, Stephens said.
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