Late Sunday, authorities discovered the body of one of two kayakers who went missing over the weekend in Shinnecock Bay, Long Island. The search for the second kayaker resumed Monday morning.
The search began after 27-year-old Shane Garcia and 25-year-old Aaron Marano failed to return from their kayaking trip. Garcia’s girlfriend alerted authorities at 8:44 p.m. on Saturday when the pair did not come back as anticipated. Before vanishing, they had sent her a photo taken near the Ponquogue Bridge.
New York State Police divers recovered Garcia’s body from the bay on Sunday night, according to reports from ABC News and other media outlets. The search for Marano was paused Sunday night due to darkness but resumed at first light on Monday.
The search effort has been extensive, involving drones, ATVs, and a Suffolk police helicopter, as confirmed by Town of Southampton police spokeswoman Detective Sergeant Gina Laferrera to Newsday. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard joined the operation at 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to Southampton police Sergeant Michael Walsh.
The investigation commenced after Garcia’s work van was located Saturday parked at the end of Shinnecock Avenue in Hampton Bays. By midday Sunday, state and Southampton Town marine patrol units discovered two kayaks and paddles washed up near Shinnecock East County Park. This led investigators to focus on a specific area where they eventually found Garcia’s body.
