A Vermont man has gone missing after going on a solo fishing trip.
Charles Arnold, 70, went out to fish on Friday, Sept. 19, in the South Bay area of Lake Memphremagog in Vermont, according to NBC Boston, CBS affiliate WCAX, and ABC affiliate WVNY.
He last spoke with his family on his cellphone around 12:30 p.m. local time. When he didn’t return home by about 9 p.m., his family reported him missing as an “overdue fisherman,” the Newport Police Department said on Facebook.
Authorities sent personnel to the lake’s South Bay Fishing Access and launched a search party on Friday evening to try to find Arnold.
The search involved help from four local fire departments — Newport City, Derby Line, Troy, and Orleans — along with the Newport Ambulance Service, Vermont Fish & Wildlife and state police.
The teams used watercraft, medical standby units, drones, and a dive unit to search the area.
After several hours, Arnold was not found. However, the man’s kayak — an orange and black vessel — was spotted near the South Yard area close to Glen Road, the Newport Police said. Arnold’s life jacket was inside the kayak.
The search was paused at midnight on Friday and planned to continue at daylight on Saturday, Sept. 20. Newport Police have not provided further updates on Arnold’s case.
Arnold is described as a white male of medium build, with white hair and a white goatee. He was last seen wearing a dark plaid long-sleeve shirt and shorts.
