Kayaker who died in Central Kentucky creek identified. He slipped after helping woman
Authorities found the body of a kayaker in Bourbon County Monday, several hours after he had gone missing, according to the sheriff’s office.
Charles Insko, a 43-year-old Paris resident, went missing at roughly 6 p.m. Sunday near a dam on Stoner Creek, according to officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bourbon County sheriff’s office.
Eyewitnesses told authorities that Insko was kayaking with a group of about 13 people on Stoner Creek when they encountered a dam. They got out of the water to go around it, according to Kevin Kelly, spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Once the kayakers got past the dam they re-entered the water. When Insko put his kayak back in, it started drifting back toward the dam, Kelly said. A woman in the group tried to help him retrieve the kayak, but she fell into the water, Kelly said, citing eyewitness accounts. Insko got into the water and pushed her downstream, but lost his footing and got pulled under, Kelly said.
Someone with Insko reported his disappearance, Maj. Brent Wilson of the Bourbon County sheriff’s office said. He was found about 150 feet from the dam where he was originally pulled under water, Wilson said.
Wilson said crews searched for the man past midnight Sunday into Monday morning before initially suspending the search. They resumed again later Monday morning around the 1700 block of North Middletown Road in Paris.
Several agencies assisted with the search, Wilson said, including the Clark County Fire Department, the Lexington Fire Department and the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources.
Once the man was found, the investigation was turned over to the Department of Fish & Wildlife. Conservation officers are currently investigating, Kelly said.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 7:34 AM.