A group of searchers responding to reports of a missing kayaker gather at a boat ramp on Little Deer Isle next to Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge on Tuesday. Credit: Elizabeth Walztoni / BDN

The body of a kayaker who went missing off Deer Isle on Tuesday morning has been found in the water near Deer Isle Bridge.

Jeffery B. Eaton, 55 of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was reported missing at about 10:30 a.m. by family members who saw him overturn his kayak shortly after he launched from the shore near the end of Wiegand Place on Little Deer Isle, according to Maine Marine Patrol.

Marine Patrol, members of the Maine State Police/Maine Marine Patrol Underwater Recovery Team and the U.S. Coast Guard searched for Eaton on Tuesday morning.

A Marine Patrol pilot found his body at 1:45 p.m. a half-mile west of Wiegand Place.

According to Marine Patrol, he was not wearing a life jacket or a wet suit.

“This is a tragic outcome and our thoughts are with the family,” Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. J.P. Freeman said. “We want to remind the public that water temperatures are still dangerously cold. Always wear a life jacket and dress for the water, especially when kayaking or operating small vessels.”

BDN writer Elizabeth Walztoni contributed reporting.

Ethan Andrews is the night editor. He was formerly the managing editor at The Free Press and worked as a reporter for The Republican Journal and Pen Bay Pilot.

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