Missing Boater Found Dead After Falling Out Of Canoe In FL: Sheriff

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL — The body of a man who went missing after falling out of a motorized canoe in Chassahowitzka Bay has been found, authorities said Saturday.

Officials launched a search at about 4 p.m. after boaters noticed an unmanned canoe circling the bay — near the Hernando/Citrus County line — according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

The boaters found a 17-year-old clinging to a floating marker but were unable to find the canoe's other occupant. The teen is recovering at the hospital, the HCSO said.

About an hour later, authorities found the man's body. Authorities haven't publicly identified the decedent as of 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Citrus County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the search.