Chris Anaya and his cousin were looking for a good place to fish on the Arkansas River near the Keeper of the Plains on Saturday afternoon when he spotted something odd.
About half of a life vest was floating in the water, with something unusual dangling from it: part of a rosary.
“It just stood out like a sore thumb to me,” Anaya said in a Facebook interview Monday about his find.
He immediately thought of Brian Bergkamp, the seminarian who went missing while kayaking on the rain-swollen Arkansas River on July 9 and was presumed drowned.
Wichita police on Monday confirmed that a body found in the river near Herman Hill Park last week was Bergkamp’s. His family was notified Friday after the coroner was able to confirm his identity, Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said.
The Catholic Diocese of Wichita said in a statement Monday that it “wishes to express gratitude to God for His abundant graces offered to strengthen all impacted by Brian’s death, to the members of the recovery team and personnel of …More