Man, 25, Identified As Kayaker Who Drowned In Fox River

ST. CHARLES, IL — The Kane County Coroner's Office has identified a kayaker whose body was found in the Fox River early Thursday after his boat tipped over while he was fishing.

Taylor Russell, 25, of Hanover Park, died in the incident, which remains under investigation, authorities said.

Preliminary results from an autopsy show Russell's cause of death to be drowning, according to a news release from the Kane County Coroner's Office.

• Body Of Missing Kayaker Found In Fox River In St. Charles

Russell's body was recovered from the Fox River after a 911 caller spotted it at about 6 a.m. on Thursday near the Great Western Trail Bridge, according to a news release from the St. Charles Police Department.

Russell went underwater just south of Ferson Creek Fen along the Fox River in St. Charles at about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday. He was out fishing with another kayaker at the time when his boat tipped over.

An exhaustive, multi-agency search followed, spanning 20 hours over the course of two days and involved extensive resources, including side and sector scan sonar technology, specialized search-and-rescue canines, dive teams, underwater rovers and the coordinated efforts of more than two dozen supporting fire departments and multiple government agencies, according to authorities.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, who hold jurisdiction over the Fox River, and the Kane County Coroner’s Office are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement at 217-782-6431.