Kayak mystery continues
CONNELLSVILLE – Police have not located the owner of a red Mohawk canoe found overturned late Tuesday in the Youghiogheny River. “We have not received any missing person reports or a report of a theft of a canoe,” said city police Chief Stephen Cooper on Wednesday. “Right now, we’re not sure what happened.”
The overturned boat prompted an hour-long search of the river near the Memorial Bridge by the New Haven Volunteer Fire Co. scuba team. The search was called off at dusk.
Overnight, Cooper said, police canvassed the parking lots along the bike trail looking for vehicles that had not exited after dark, but were unable to connect anyone to the watercraft.
Additionally, police contacted the boat manufacturer and determined it was sold at a dealership in the Butler area in the early 1990s. There were no records available as to who may have purchased the canoe.
“It could have been stolen from someone’s back yard and taken for a ride and then abandoned,” speculated Cooper.
City fire Chief Joe Childs said the boat has no distinguishing features or marks, only the manufacturer’s name, Mohawk, and XL13.
According to the Mohawk Web site, the canoe is used for whitewater rafting and is known for being a “great beginner boat or a roomy canoe for big paddlers.”
Cooper said an unidentified man contacted police after spotting the overturned boat and told officers that he had seen a man in the canoe approximately one hour before it was found abandoned, some 30 yards from the shoreline.
“We’re asking the caller to come forward so that we might get a description of the person,” said Cooper.
Investigators are also asking anyone who may have knowledge of the ownership of the boat to contact the police or fire department at 724-628-2501, extension 110 or 310.