[NYPOST] The bodies of Lotus percussionist Chuck Morris and his son, Charley, were found 24 days after the pair disappeared during a kayaking trip in Arkansas, authorities said Sunday.The Benton County Sheriff’s Office began its search for the 47-year-old member of the electronic jam band and his 20-year-old son when they were first reported missing on March 16, the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
On Saturday, the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team, based out of Tennessee, joined the search efforts.
Rescue workers utilized remote-operated underwater ROV vehicles in "a challenging environment that exceeded depths of 180" feet, officials said. The complicated recovery mission came to its grim conclusion Sunday.
"Our family was informed by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office that Charley Morris has been found. We have concluded the cause of his death was drowning," the family wrote in a statement shared to Lotus’ Instagram account before the sheriff’s office also announced Chuck’s body had also been found.
"Sheriff Holloway, along with the family of Chuck and Charley, would like to thank all the men and women who donated their time and efforts to help bring closure to the family and recover the two missing men," the sheriff’s office said.
Lotus’ Twitter account delivered the devastating news last month that the search and rescue effort was being considered a recovery mission, adding that a K-9 team has been deployed to help find them.
"We were all hoping for a miracle, but at this point, the search for Chuck & Charley has moved to a recovery," the stark announcement read from the band, which was formed in Indiana in 1999 and released more than a dozen records on various labels.