Two teenage brothers have been missing for more than a week after going duck hunting in inclement weather in Northern California on December 14th.
Wesley Cornett, 17, and Andrew Cornett, 19, went hunting at Thermalit Afterbay, a vast body of water with 27 miles of shoreline and 4,300 acres of water in Butte County.
In a Facebook post earlier this week, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said, “Since the two brothers went missing while duck hunting in Thermalit Afterbay last Saturday, we have received approximately 250 emails from 21 different organizations. People continue to search for Wesley Cornett and Andrew Cornett.'' It is accompanied by a video detailing the high-tech efforts to find two missing teenagers in the weed-covered water.
The search effort began the same day the teens went missing, with SCSO agents, detectives, BCSO Air Marines, and BCSO Search and Rescue team reporting that “two duck hunters, one of whom was in a kayak, We responded to a report that the vehicle had capsized while the other person had swam. I went into the water to help. ”
“Thousands of acres were searched by boat, ground and raft,” BCSO Search and Rescue Officer Trevor Skaggs said in a video posted on the sheriff's office's Facebook page.
Jeff Eggelson of Big Valley Divers said the “hardest thing” rescuers have to do is “sweep through the weeds” at the base of Thermalit Afterbay.
Heavy rain and winds pounded much of Butte County Saturday, leaving about 5,000 people without power. This was reported by local news outlet Action News Now.
The boys' mother, April Clark, has set up a GoFundMe called “Help Find and Honor April Clark's Sons'' in hopes of raising money for the search efforts and eventual funeral. .
“My two handsome sons went hunting on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Wesley (17) went out in a kayak and tipped over, and his brother Andrew (19) He called 911 when he saw him in distress and said he didn't have time to wait.'' [sic]” Clark wrote in the GoFundMe page description. “Both of my sons have not been seen since Saturday. Andrew is a hero in my eyes.”
Clark added that the sheriff's office is currently calling the search for her sons a “recovery” mission.
“This is a freak accident that my family and I are trying to come to terms with, but we also have four girls at home who still need care,” Clark wrote. “It's hard to write this because it's broken into so many pieces. I hope you find it in your heart to donate to help our family find our two handsome sons and put them to rest.” Any amount of support will forever be a blessing to our family. ”
