REVERE — The body of a 72-year-old Saugus kayaker was recovered in Revere on Wednesday morning, miles from where he began his boat ride a day earlier.
Craig Dustin Sr., described as an avid fisherman, had been missing since Tuesday afternoon, when his son, Keith Dustin, reported he had not returned from a kayaking trip in the Saugus River. His car was located at the Saugus boat landing on Ballard Street.
His disappearance touched off an extensive search. First responders spent hours Tuesday afternoon and evening looking for Dustin in rough weather conditions, but most crews suspended their search after 9 p.m. The Coast Guard continued to search throughout the night, with their partners resuming their search in the morning.
Dustin’s body was recovered in the waters off of Beachmont at 10:35 a.m., shortly after his kayak had been discovered, according to Commander Lee Titus, search and rescue mission coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Titus said the joint state, local and federal team found a body in the water that was consistent with the description of Dustin — the medical examiner will make the final identification. Titus addressed reporters at a press conference that was held at Point of Pines Yacht Club late Wednesday morning, where the body was still on a rescue boat behind the building.
“On behalf of the joint agency search team, I want to extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Dustin’s family and loved ones,” Titus said.
Earlier, Dustin’s kayak had been discovered up against the ocean side of the seawall at Short Beach on the Revere/Winthrop line by the Winthrop harbormaster. That location is approximately three miles south, along Broad Sound, from the mouth of the Saugus River, where Dustin was last seen on Tuesday. His personal belongings were found in the kayak, State Police said.
“The kayak was recovered up on the beach,” Titus said. “We believe it may have been pulled up by somebody walking on the beach.”
The discovery of the kayak prompted an intensive search in that area by ground and marine units from the joint federal, state, and local search team — Dustin’s body was recovered near Beachmont shortly after, Titus said.
“A Massachusetts State trooper searching the rocky coastline just south of the location of the kayak made visual observation of a deceased body in the rough surf,” State Police said in a statement. “A United States Coast Guard boat recovered the body from the surf. There was a flotation device near the body…There is nothing that suggests suspicion or foul play in the death.”
Titus said the search team believes that Dustin was wearing a life jacket, as the jacket was close by when his body was found.
Titus said rough weather conditions due to the tropical storm led to choppy seas and poor visibility made the search difficult, but said that it was a very extensive thorough search from all of the Coast Guard’s partners up the river and offshore.
Keith Dustin said on Tuesday night that he alerted authorities after his father failed to meet his mother at 2:30 p.m. as planned following his kayaking trip. His mother had called him and told him that his father wasn’t there.
He said he came down to where he knew his father was parked at Saugus boat landing, saw the vehicle still there, and found that he was missing. That’s when he called the Coast Guard.
“I knew something was wrong,” Keith said on Tuesday night.
Keith said his father retired in January and that his parents have been married for 50 years.
The Coast Guard was the lead agency coordinating the search operation, and was assisted over two days by State Police, Environmental Police, Saugus, Revere and Lynn Police and the Saugus Fire Department.
