Body of missing kayaker recovered in St Johns County

The body of Garth Ryan Sangree, the 22-year-old Jacksonville Beach resident who went missing January 23rd after telling friends that he was going kayaking, has been recovered from the beach near the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in South Ponte Vedra Beach.

The remains were recovered Wednesday, and today, Public Information Officer Chuck Mulligan reported to Historic City News that the District 23 Medical Examiner had made a positive identification. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning.

Friends held a memorial celebration for Garth two weeks ago in the Robinson Theater on the University of North Florida campus.

A three-day search for the missing student covered more than 4,435 square miles and was done by several agencies, including the US Coast Guard.