Authorities identify kayaker who drowned at Lake McConaughy

LEMOYNE, Neb. — Authorities have confirmed the identity of a man who drowned at Lake McConaughy after his kayak overturned Sunday evening near Admiral’s Cove.

According to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 38-year-old Armando Marroquin of Houston, Texas, drowned in the Keith County lake. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as drowning.

Emergency crews were first called around 7:53 p.m. Aug. 17 after a jet skier spotted an overturned kayak near the Lemoyne Bay boat ramp. Responders from Keystone Lemoyne Fire and Rescue, the Keith County Sheriff’s Office, Keith County EMS and Nebraska Game and Parks began a search using boats, sonar, drones and a helicopter. The effort was suspended that night due to storms and resumed the next day.

The Keystone Lemoyne Fire and Rescue dive team recovered Marroquin’s body Monday at about 1:05 p.m. in 20 feet of water. Investigators said he launched from a low water ramp around 5:30 p.m. Sunday and likely fell overboard shortly afterward. He was not wearing a life jacket, and no flotation device was found.

Marroquin had been working as a chef at Admiral’s Cove this summer.

“Our thoughts are with Armando’s relatives at this time,” said Travis Shepler, law enforcement assistant administrator for Nebraska Game and Parks. “It is always tragic to lose a life on the water.”

The case remains under investigation.