Park service officials and emergency crews on Monday discovered the body of a Searcy County turkey hunter who had been missing since Friday near the Buffalo River, according to a statement released by the National Park Service.
James Wilson Taylor went missing Friday while on a turkey hunt along the Buffalo River near Baker Ford. A dive team and fire crews discovered Taylor’s body Monday around 4 p.m. in the Buffalo River near Rocky Hollow, according to the park service.
Taylor was reported missing Saturday morning by family members, and 125 people began searching for the missing hunter, who was using a kayak to hunt along the river, according to the statement released by the park service.
Officials said Taylor was in his mid-40s, and the area he hunted in was well known to him, his friends and family. Some of the missing man’s personal items were recovered from the riverbanks Saturday while crews searched for Taylor by foot, horseback, boats and helicopters, according to the National Park Service.
Fifty-two searchers were deployed Monday before the search concluded later in the day.
