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Body of missing Plymouth kayaker is recovered near Fighting Island

a kayak
Getty Images - FILE

(WWJ) The body of a Plymouth kayaker who'd been missing for more than a week has been recovered.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says 63-year old James Kuntz's body was found by the US Coast Guard on Sunday, offshore of Fighting Island, in the Detroit River. That's about nine miles from the Detroit Yacht Club, where friends said Kuntz was a member.


Kuntz, who went by "Jim," was last seen at the Yacht Club on May 10. His truck was left in the parking lot, according to a missing persons report, and his keys and wallet were found on his boat.

Kuntz was reported missing two days later. The next evening, what's believed to be his kayak was found adrift on Lake St. Clair, in the Anchor Bay area.

Crews searched the water and land around the yacht club for a couple days before calling off the search. The Detroit Police Department harbor master, Michigan State Police troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard boat crews and air station in Detroit all helped with search efforts, the DNR said.

"This is never how we want to conclude a search, but we hope the recovery of this man's body can bring closure to his family and friends," said Lt. Todd Szyska, DNR law enforcement supervisor in Detroit, in a statement.

An autopsy will be performed by the medical examiner to determine a cause of death.