Searchers find body of kayaker in Driftwood floodwater

5 p.m. update: The body of Keygan Matlock was located by search and rescue personnel at 4 p.m. today in the S-curves of the river between the Tannehill and Lowell bridges.  He was found approximately 100 yards from where his kayak was located earlier today, the DNR said.

ORIGINAL STORY: Searchers have located the kayak that belongs to Keygan Matlock of Columbus, who was reported missing Thursday by his family. The kayak was located at about 10:30 a.m. today by a Duke Energy helicopter crew between Tannehill Bridge and Lowell Bridge on the Driftwood River.

Locating the kayak provides further confirmation that Matlock was indeed on the river, said Angela Goldman, conservation officer.

Although finding the kayak may give some indication of where Matlock may be, there is still a very large area of the river to be searched, Goldman said.  Rescue personnel will continue to search the area with drones and helicopters, she said.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies and Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers spent Thursday combing the Driftwood and Flatrock rivers using drones and an Indiana State Police helicopter in efforts to locate Matlock, 26.

Matlock, of 3950 Deer Court in Tannehill Park, a mobile home community west of Taylorsville, is believed to have launched his 6-foot-long commercial grade fiberglass kayak late Wednesday morning into the Driftwood River near his home, in the vicinity of Heflin Park.

The family was notified and identified the kayak as belonging to Matlock.

For more on this story, check back here or pick up a Saturday Republic.