Thursday, May 30, 2024

Search for Missing Kayaker near Girardville Continues into Third Day

The search for a missing kayaker near Girardville will continue into its third day Thursday.

Around 2:15pm, Tuesday, emergency personnel and dive teams were called to the "A-Hole" and popular water hole/stripping pit, for a reported missing kayaker.

On the original dispatch, it was advised that the caller stated they were kayaking with a friend when one of them went missing.  The caller reportedly went searching and found the friend's kayak overturned in the water, with no one else around.

Crews worked into early Tuesday evening before suspending operations when storms pushed through.

On Wednesday, by 9:00am, emergency responders were back at the scene and searching the waters of the A-Hole again.

By Wednesday afternoon, searches would be discontinued again due to weather.

Information revealed Wednesday by authorities was that clothing has been found and they are looking for 42-year-old, Donald Haymaker, of Girardville.

Dive teams from Mahanoy City and Schuylkill Haven, along with units from Lackawanna and Lebanon Counties, helped with searching on Tuesday and Wednesday.  During Thursday's search, the Fish and Boat Commission will be bringing in specialized equipment to search underwater.