The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is searching Lake Shasta for a young kayaker who went missing from Lakehead the evening of June 2.
The week-long search has brought out the sheriff’s office boating safety unit, dive team and drone team, as well as volunteer groups responding to the family’s plea for help in finding Maxziel Castro, 22.
According to the sheriff’s office, Castro left the 19000 block of Lower Salt Creek Road in Lakehead about 6 p.m. that Tuesday to go kayaking on the lake and did not return. His family reported him missing the next morning, on Wednesday, June 3, the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
That same Wednesday, deputies found Castro’s vehicle at the Lower Salt Creek Boat Launch and issued a bulletin to law enforcement about being on the lookout for an at-risk missing person. Then at 11 a.m., deputies from the boating safety unit found an empty kayak partially submerged in the Salt Creek Inlet.
They also found a paddle and other items near the shore in the same area. The sheriff’s office summoned its drone team and the California Highway Patrol helicopter to assist in the search. None of them were able to locate Castro.
The boating safety unit returned to the lake on Thursday, June 4 to use side-scan sonar, and the sheriff’s office dive team searched the waters where deputies found the kayak. Again, they were not able to find Castro.
Watch this video from 2021.
Volunteer groups also have had no success in finding Castro during their searches by land and water.
The sheriff’s office said deputies from the boating safety unit would continue to search for Castro using sonar and additional equipment when they identify potential targets and by doing shoreline checks. Also, officers will do searches by air when resources are available to assist.
The sheriff’s office urged residents to have proper safety equipment while on the water and always wear personal flotation devices, particularly as summer recreation begins.
The sheriff’s office asked anyone with information about the case to call 530-245-6025.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Missing kayaker search ongoing at Lake Shasta
Reporting by Jenny Espino, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Jenny Espino, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
