Man's GoPro Ends Up Filming His Fatal Drowning

Alaska man's body has not yet been found in lake where he disappeared
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 19, 2023 3:30 AM CDT
Man's GoPro Ends Up Filming His Fatal Drowning
Chunks of ice float in Mendenhall Lake in front of the Mendenhall Glacier on April 29, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska.   (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

An Alaska man inadvertently filmed his own drowning on a glacial lake with a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet, but authorities who recovered the camera have not yet found his body, officials said Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers said teams would continue to search Mendenhall Lake for the body of Paul Rodriguez Jr., 43, of Juneau, the AP reports. Troopers said a helmet with a camera attached to it that was confirmed to have belonged to Rodriguez was recording on July 11 when his kayak overturned and he went into the water. "The recording continued showing that the kayak overturned due to a strong current coming from the glacier," Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said by email. DeSpain said the helmet was found on the lakeshore. He said it was turned in to troopers on Monday.

Juneau police on Monday said Rodriguez was believed to have gone missing on July 11 somewhere in the vicinity of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. Police received a report Sunday from US Forest Service employees that a vehicle had been parked at the recreation area since July 11 and determined it was registered to Rodriguez. According to police, Rodriguez's roommate reported last seeing him on July 10, and friends said a social media post by Rodriguez on July 11 showed a kayak on a beach that appeared to be near Nugget Falls, which is in the recreation area and along the lake. A kayak had been found floating unattended on the lake July 11 that police said resembled the one in Rodriguez's post. As authorities put the pieces together, a search got underway.

(More Alaska stories.)

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