The bodies of Lotus drummer Chuck Morris and his son Charley Morris have been recovered nearly a month after the two went missing during a kayaking trip in Arkansas. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that the bodies of the 47-year-old percussionist and his son were recovered from Beaver Lake “thanks to technology and efforts” from Carroll County Mennonite Disaster Service and Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team out of Tennessee, who used remote-operated underwater vehicles in a “challenging environment” that passed depths of 180 feet.
The tragic update came 24 days after Morris and Charley, 20, went missing after going on a kayaking trip around the Lost Bridge Village of Beaver Lake area. Search efforts began on March 16 after the pair was reported missing and included dive crews, boats, dogs and more from several agencies, according to Benton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Shannon Jenkins. What began as a rescue mission, however, quickly pivoted to a recovery mission, with water temperatures in the lake dropping to the 30s and 40. Tony Wade, director of operations for the volunteer group Cajun Coast Search and Rescue, told CBS News Colorado at the time, “This lake is a serious challenge to search but we’re doing everything we can. You’d instantly go into shock. This is 100 percent a recovery.”
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“Our family was informed by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office that Charley Morris has been found. We have concluded the cause of his death was drowning,” the Morris family shared in a statement on the Lotus Instagram account Sunday. The statement was later updated to include, “Chuck Morris was also recovered yesterday. Thanks to the efforts of the local search teams. We appreciate your support at this time.”
Amid the search efforts, a GoFundMe page was created to support Morris’ wife and family. The page, which has raised more than $200,000, was updated after Charley’s body was recovered with a message from his mother and sister reading, “My beautiful boy will be forever missed. His light, beauty, wit and intellect will reside in my heart forever. Thank you for the love and support. Amelia and I feel it every day.” Lotus is also offering benefit concerts for the Morris family in Denver, Harrisburg and New York to “support the family’s immediate financial needs.”
Lotus is an electronic jam band that formed in Indiana, but they are now mostly based in Denver. The group’s other members are guitarist Tim Palmieri, bassist/synth player Jesse Miller, drummer Mike Greenfield, and guitarist/keyboardist Luke Miller.
