A college student who went missing in Texas has tragically been found dead.
Peyton Hughes, 21, “was pre-fishing for a Bassmaster Kayak Series event” on Toledo Bend Reservoir on Wednesday, Sept. 24 when he disappeared, according to a post shared on Facebook by Texas Game Wardens.
The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society reported that Hughes’ travel partner contacted authorities after he failed to arrive at their designated meeting spot that same day, as covered by CBS affiliate WKYT-TV and ABC affiliate KLTV.
Two days later, authorities located Hughes’ body around 7:15 a.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 26, Texas Game Wardens confirmed.
Peyton, a sophomore at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, was a member of the university’s kayak bass fishing team, according to NBC affiliate WLEX-TV. Team members had been practicing individually across Toledo Bend Lake for a tournament when Hughes went missing.
Sara Hughes, Peyton’s mother, recounted receiving multiple calls and texts about her son’s disappearance around midnight on Thursday, Sept. 25.
“I woke up and saw a bunch of missed calls saying I needed to call right away. I called the game warden and he told me my son was missing,” she told WLEX.
Sara immediately drove 13 hours to Texas as search efforts for her son continued. The following day, authorities confirmed his death.
In an emotional tribute on Facebook, Hughes wrote that her “sweet boy is gone.”
“They recovered his body this morning in the lake,” she added. “Please pray for us.”
Multiple agencies from both Texas and Louisiana assisted in the search for Peyton, according to Texas Game Wardens.
“Our thoughts continue to be with Peyton’s family, friends, teammates and fellow students at Campbellsville University during this difficult time,” the department said in a statement shared on Facebook.
As the search was underway, Campbellsville University canceled its women’s junior varsity and varsity volleyball games against Lindsey Wilson University, according to a post on the school’s Facebook page.
