Body of country singer Craig Strickland recovered

KAY COUNTY, Okla. (KABC) -- The body of country singer Craig Strickland was recovered Monday morning by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's Marine Enforcement Division, an official said.

The 29-year-old went on a duck hunting trip with his friend, Chase Morland, on Dec. 26 in Kay County, Oklahoma during the middle of a monster winter storm pummeling the South.

The pair's boat was found that day after capsizing, and Morland's body was recovered from the lake on Dec. 28.

The patrol had been using search dogs, boats with sonar and drag lines and a helicopter during their search on the north end of Kaw Lake, south of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.

Strickland's body was located within the original search area known as Bear Creek Cove, Lt. Kera Philippi said Monday.

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Strickland is the lead singer of the Arkansas-based country-rock band Backroad Anthem. They were scheduled to play in Little Rock, Arkansas on New Year's Eve.

His wife, Helen Strickland, also took to Twitter Monday morning, confirming his death.

"He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen," she tweeted.