A 67-year-old Wasilla man was found dead Wednesday after he was knocked from his canoe on the Little Susitna River a day earlier, Alaska State Troopers said.
Stephen Craig was on the river with a friend Tuesday in separate canoes when he was knocked into the water by overhanging branches near the Manvil H. Olson bridge on Schrock Road in Wasilla, troopers said. Craig, who wasn’t wearing a life jacket, disappeared underwater before his friend could reach him, troopers said. He was reported missing to troopers around 3:15 p.m.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough medics and a river rescue team searched the water and shoreline, troopers said. A helicopter was deployed by Alaska Wildlife Troopers to search by air, they said.
The search lasted for five hours Tuesday, and wildlife troopers continued to search for Craig on Wednesday, troopers said.
Craig’s body was found around 9 a.m., submerged and caught in a logjam near the area where his canoe capsized, troopers said. His body was recovered around noon, according to troopers.