PALATKA, Fla. – The body of a missing kayaker was found Friday morning in the St. Johns River, southeast of the Memorial Bridge in Palatka, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Jeremiah Beck, 43, was last seen on Wednesday evening in the St. Johns River. According to the FWC, his body was found around 8:30 a.m. Friday.
“FWC extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Beck’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the FWC said.
Russell Beck, Jeremiah Beck’s father, told News4JAX his son was a father of three.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said calls were received around 5:30 p.m. about a man who may have fallen out of his kayak on the St. Johns River near the Memorial Bridge, which connects Palatka’s Historic District to East Palatka.
A yellow kayak was found, but there had been no reported sightings of him.
Russell Beck said the kayak belongs to him, and he has been letting his son use it. He said Jeremiah has been living on a boat docked in the St. Johns River at Memorial Bridge for a few months.
Russell Beck said his son could swim, but he was worried about what witnesses said happened.
“I found out that he got on the boat, but he jumped in the water to get the kayak, and that’s the last time they saw him,” an emotionally pained Russell Beck said. “I’ve tried to tell him to be careful, you know.”
Russell said he learned his son fell into the water from the kayak but managed to swim back to the boat he was living on. But then he tried to swim back to get the kayak because it was drifting further away, and that’s when he disappeared.
A man who said he’s known Jeremiah Beck for about a month and described him as a friend said he was with Beck around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, just an hour before he was reported missing.
“I just finished talking to him, and, all of a sudden, this happens,” said the friend, who asked not to be identified.
The friend said that whenever Jeremiah came to shore, the two would hang out together in a park. He said he last saw Beck going to his boat on Wednesday.
“He’s a great person to be with, real friendly, real kind,” the friend said. “Losing him like this is unbelievable.”
The FWC said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.
