Ellsworth County: Bodies of father, teen recovered from Kanopolis Lake

ELLSWORTH COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) - The Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office shared that two bodies were recovered from Kanopolis Lake on Saturday.

The two bodies recovered are the two people who were lost in a boating incident on the lake on July 3.

Ellsworth County Sheriff Kenny Bernard said three people were swimming at Kimble Point when the current carried their boat away. They were not wearing life jackets and could not make it back to the boat.

Reagen Dalke was one of the three swimmers, but was the only person spotted. Reagen was pulled out of the water by boaters who had seen their empty boat hours earlier. She was taken to the hospital and later airlifted to a Wichita hospital in serious condition.

The other two individuals, whose bodies were recovered on Saturday included Reagen’s father and her best friend.

The 44-year-old man was found near the area where they first went missing. The 14-year old was found by a boater by the face of the dam. The families have identified the bodies.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of the victim’s, their family and friends,” said the Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office in a social media post. “From all of us at the Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office, please hold your family just a little tighter this holiday.”

Multiple agencies, dive teams and volunteers assisted in searching for them in the water.

A GoFundMe has been set up to aid the families impacted. To donate, click here.