The body of 37-year-old Travis Valenti was recovered Wednesday evening in a lake in a national park in Washington state.
The National Park Service said Valenti was pulled from Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park at about 6:25 p.m. PT.
The agency said the nonprofit organization Christian Aid Ministries had begun searching the lake at around 8 a.m. using boat-mounted sonar technology.
The group from Berlin, Ohio acquired a highly probable find of Valenti’s body, whereupon the park was notified and rangers were dispatched to meet the group on the lake.
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View of Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State’s Olympic National Park. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A remote-controlled vehicle was used to locate the Massapequa man, who was found at a depth of 400 feet.
Christian Aid Ministries used the vehicle’s grappling tool to raise the body to the surface.
In addition to the victim’s family, the coroner was also notified.
On June 9, Valenti and his fiancé Marlene Junker – a nurse – were kayaking when his kayak started taking on water.
He was forced to leave the kayak and enter the water. While his fiancé was trying to save him, her kayak overturned and she went into the water.
Although she could swim to shore, Valenti couldn’t.
“Please join us in praying for the family of Travis Valenti – from Massapequa – who tragically lost his life kayaking in Olympia National Park in Washington state. May he rest in peace,” wrote Joseph Saladino, the town’s supervisor. Oyster Bay, on Facebook on Thursday. (Promoter Joseph Saladino/Facebook)
Neither was wearing a life jacket, according to authorities.
“Travis gave (Marlene) the extra push she needed to get safe, and they still haven’t found him since Friday at 2 or 3 p.m.,” Austin Valenti previously told News 12 Long Island.
Valenti, whose Facebook showed he was a Miami Dolphins fan and dachshund enthusiast, had proposed to her just two days earlier, his brother noted.
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One of the cabins at Lake Crescent’s Log Cabin Resort is viewed September 15, 2021 in Lake Crescent, Washington. ((Photo by George Rose/Getty Images))
Employees at the nearby Log Cabin Resort who responded failed to find Valenti, nor did searchers find him on a second attempt.
The National Park Service notes that Lake Crescent is very deep and very cold, with surface water temperatures approaching 50 degrees this time of year.
“Sudden immersion in cold water affects a person’s breathing and, over time, their ability to move limbs,” it warned.
Swimmers are encouraged to use a buddy system and boaters should wear a life jacket at all times, the agency added.
People in a canoe landing on the beach at Lake Crescent Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State’s Olympic National Park. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Valenti’s family posted thanks for the prayers they received and the successful efforts of Christian Aid Ministries.
“We are thankful that our prayers have been answered, and we will have him back in New York soon,” cousin Valerie Trompeter wrote on Facebook.
Diana Rose, who is in a relationship with Valenti’s sibling, updated a GoFundMe to help fund search and recovery efforts to thank those who sent kind words, donated, and worked to find Valenti.
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The page had raised more than $62,000.
“This is still a very sensitive and emotionally charged time for his beautiful fiancee, parents, siblings, family and countless friends who care and love Travis,” she said.
“Fortunately, Travis will eventually be able to come home and rest forever. This will still take time and logistical coordination. Your kind donations you will receive will greatly aid in this endeavor and in funeral preparations,” Rose wrote.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.
Body of New York man, 37, recovered from
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