Brandon Larsen left sandals, a beach towel, his car keys and a chair on the beach at Willard Bay State Park in Utah while he went paddleboarding on Sunday evening, Utah State Parks officials said.
Larsen never returned for his items. Days later, officials found his body.
On Sunday night, park staff found Larsen’s items on the beach, saying they "seemed to have been forgotten," according to a Utah State Parks news release. Officials took those items to the lost and found.
But on Tuesday, authorities noticed that Larsen’s vehicle hadn’t moved and realized that the keys they found a few days earlier belonged to the car.
Sign Up and Save
Get six months of free digital access to The Fresno Bee
#ReadLocal
A picture of a Dave Scadden Paddlesports Grand Slam inflatable paddleboard that matches the description of the paddleboard Larsen had.
Utah State Parks
Authorities then looked up the vehicle information and contacted Larsen's family, the news release said.
Search efforts on land and water began for Larsen Tuesday afternoon. In that time, officials found Larsen's cellphone in a bag in the water.
The search for Larsen was suspended overnight, but authorities found his body at 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Deseret News.
"We are investigating the incident as an apparent drowning," officials said in the news release, adding that Larsen was not wearing a life jacket when his body was found.
Larsen's inflatable paddleboard has not been found, officials said. The board is described as a Dave Scadden Paddlesports inflatable that is lime green with a white border. It is a Grand Slam model, officials said.
"This paddleboard, along with any information about Larsen's activities Sunday, is important to the investigation," officials said.
Authorities ask anyone who found a paddleboard in the state park or who may have seen Larsen on the paddelboard to contact Utah State Parks.
"Brandon was a father, brother, son, uncle, veteran and teacher," Larsen's family said in a statement, according to KUTV. "The loss of him from our lives is indescribable."
Larsen taught business and computer programming at Weber Innovation High School in Ogden, according to FOX 13. Before teaching at the high school, he taught business at Sand Ridge Junior High School for 10 years.
"Brandon was beloved by students and highly respected by his peers," read a statement from Weber School District, according to the television station. The district also extended its condolences and said in the statement that counselors are available at both schools Larsen taught at.
Comments