Noon Sunday update
EDINBURGH, Indiana — Authorities on Sunday recovered the body of a missing Columbus man from the Driftwood River near Edinburgh.
Siddharth Panicker, 27, an engineer for Faurecia in Columbus, had been canoeing with about 15 friends Saturday afternoon when his watercraft capsized, said Jet Quillen, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Panicker’s body was found at 10:56 a.m. Sunday near where his canoe capsized by emergency personnel in water-rescue boats, Cpl. Quillen said.
The area of the river where Panicker was found was about 16 feet deep, in a river bend about a mile north of Heflen Park near the Blues Canoe Livery of Edinburgh, which had provided the party’s canoes.
Turn to Monday’s Republic for additional details.
10:30 A.M. Sunday update
Edinburgh — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is releasing the identity of the man they are searching for in the Driftwood River.
He is Siddharth Panicker, 27, of 5984 Laramie Trail, Columbus.
Three search boats including two with sonar are searching this morning.
Panicker disappeared at 4:26 p.m. Saturday when his canoe capsized in a deep portion of the river near Edinburgh.
Panicker’s fiancé and friends are at the command center site in Heflen Park as the search continues.
DNR Cpl. Jet Quillen said the river was a little high on Saturday but not at the level considered dangerous. The river is down about a foot this morning, he said.
Panicker’s canoe remains submerged under a log just north of Heflen Park which is the area where the search is concentrated. Panicker was not believed to be wearing a life jacket when the canoe capsized.
Friends said Panicker went underwater when the canoe capsized and resurfaced but then disappeared. People who tried to reach him told DNR the water was over their heads in the area where Panicker disappeared.
Panicker was part of a group of 15 canoeists on the river on Saturday.
Panicker is a Faurecia tooling engineer, working in manufacturing, supply chain and operational processes. His social media postings indicate he has worked at the Columbus company for about a year.
This story will be updated.
8:30 P.M. UPDATE: Search operations for the missing man who disappeared after his canoe capsized on the Driftwood River have been suspended for the night due to darkness. The search for the man will resume Sunday morning at 8 a.m.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Searchers gathered in Heflin Park looking for a man who disappeared in the Driftwood River after his canoe capsized near the Driftwood Mobile Home Park.
Four search boats were sent out from Heflin Park north of Columbus after the 27-year-old man was reported to be in the water at about 4:26 p.m. Saturday.
The man’s canoe was found submerged in the river under a logjam, according to the searchers. The man briefly resurfaced after falling from the canoe and appeared above the water for a moment before he disappeared, said DNR officer Jet Quillen.
The missing man was believed to have been canoeing with a group of friends, Quillen said.
Investigators believe they rented their canoes from Blues Canoes, which is near Heflin Park.
Boats from the DNR, city of Franklin and the Bartholomew County Sheriffs Airboat all were searching on the river Saturday afternoon. Drones also were deployed to search for the man by the Bargersville Fire Department and the Indianapolis Police Department.
