Body of country singer recovered near frigid Oklahoma lake
Digital Reporter
Monday, January 4, 2016, 4:50 PM - The body of country singer Craig Strickland was recovered Monday after his boat capsized during severe weather into a frigid Oklahoma lake, local highway patrol officials have announced. The 29-year-old singer was reported missing on December 27, 2015, during a duck hunting trip.
Stickland and a friend, Chase R. Morland, went missing during severe winter storm. Their capsized boat was found December 27 and Morland's body was recovered a day later. Strickland's dog was with the pair and was found safe.
The friends appeared to be aware that venturing out during severe weather could be dangerous, according to a tweet left by Morland shortly before departure.
“In case we don’t come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. #IntoTheStorm,” Morland tweeted the day before they went missing.
In case we don't come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. 😅 #IntoTheStorm
— Chase Morland (@ChaseMorland) December 27, 2015
"Craig was found today. We can finally rest knowing that he is at Home in Heaven with his Father," his wife, Helen Strickland, said in an Instagram post after Strickland's body was found.
"The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in. He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his Father.”
Strickland was the lead singer of the band Backroad Anthem a group of six musicians based in Fayetteville, Ark., and established in 2012.
