Search for missing teenage brothers ends after second body is found in water

Authorities have found the second body in their search for two brothers who had gone missing during a duck-hunting trip in Northern California last month.

Andruw Cornett, 19, and Wesley Cornett, 17, of Yuba County were last seen hunting in the Thermalito Afterbay downstream of Lake Oroville on Dec. 14, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

Andruw Cornett’s body was found on Dec. 31.

Over the weekend, authorities told the Sacramento Bee they believed the body of Wesley was discovered in the water off Highway 162 by a passerby. Divers with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office were already in the area as part of the search for the teen when the citizen called 911. The divers were able to recover the body and DNA test results confirmed it was Wesley, Butte County sheriff’s officials announced in a news release Monday.

“We send our condolences to the family and friends of Wesley and Andruw Cornett during this devastating time,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “We would also like to thank the many allied agencies and volunteers who assisted in the search.”

Authorities say the brothers were in trouble soon after entering the water three weeks ago.

Andruw Cornett called 911 about 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 14 and reported his brother had overturned in his kayak, sheriff’s officials said. A dispatcher advised him not to go into the water and to stay in his own kayak, according to authorities.

But Andruw Cornett insisted on jumping into the water to save his younger brother, sheriff’s officials said. Both brothers were eventually submerged in the water and neither were wearing life jackets.

A Butte County sheriff’s deputy arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after the 911 call, according to sheriff’s officials, and the search was underway.

The boy’s mother called Andruw a hero for jumping into the water to try to save his younger brother.

“This is a freak accident that my family and I are trying to wrap our heads around and we also have four girls at home who we still need to care for,” April Clark wrote about her sons in a GoFundMe post.

Family and friends held a vigil on Saturday night not far from where Wesley’s body was discovered.