Lincoln County authorities say they have recovered the body of a 19-year-old man from a sand pit near North Platte.
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| Samson Charles Bidan |
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says members of the Lincoln County Dive team recovered the body of Samson Charles at around 6:01 p.m., on Thursday.
Charles had been missing since Monday when the kayak he was maneuvering down the North Platte River was forced into a Western Engineering sand pit through a breach in a dike separating the pit from the river. Charles went into the water and did not resurface.
Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer announced yesterday that the search had been suspended and that all efforts had been exhausted for the time being. Divers and Game and Parks officials encountered a large amount of debris in the pit due to the river flowing through it. The sheriff’s office didn’t say what prompted searchers to return to the site of the accident.
Chief Deputy Roland Kramer says the body was positively identified and the cause of death has been ruled an accidental drowning. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the case, according to Kramer.
The LCSO, in a statement on their Facebook page, thanked Western Engineering, the Lincoln County Dive Team and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for their efforts in the search and recovery. They also thanked the American Red Cross for their support during the investigation.
Charles was a basketball star from Tanzania and was a member of the North Platte Community College men’s basketball team.
Hundreds of Facebook posts have been made in remembrance of Charles and the amazing impact he had on fellow students, community members and members of his church.
Source: NP Post
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