Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
In response to media inquiries, the PCSO Marine Unit and Polk County Fire Rescue recovered the body of an adult male from Lake Annie in the Waverly area near Lake Wales earlier this morning.
According to the investigation so far, the man went out onto the lake on his kayak around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2024. Around 5:00 p.m. his friends went onto the lake on a canoe to look for him, and discovered the empty kayak turned upside down on the water. The friends reported him missing to PCSO at 3:30 a.m. this morning (July 15, 2024).
Boats from PCSO and PCFR were launched, and deputies plus fire rescue personnel found the man’s body floating in the lake. They have recovered the body and delivered him to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. We are now conducting a death investigation.
Update 3:45pm: The name of the kayaker who was found deceased on Lake Annie by the PCSO Marine Unit and PCFR personnel this morning is Shane Park of Magnolia Street in Lake Wales. He was 40-years-old.
