Two Teenage Duck Hunters Still Missing in Northern California Waters

Two teenage brothers have been missing for over a week after one kayak overturned. Despite continuous search efforts, both boys remain missing.

The eastern horizon brightens at dawn as seen from a cattail blind during an Armistice Day duck hunt at Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area in Horicon. / Paul A. Smith / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two California brothers, Wesley and Andruw Cornett have been reported missing after they failed to return home from their duck hunting trip over a week ago.

The young pair left home and planned to hunt in the Thermalito Afterbay area in Butte County, California. According to authorities, one of the brother's kayaks flipped and the other brother entered the water to assist the boy.

At about 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, 911 received a call from Butte County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) after Andruw, 19, informed authorities that Wesley, 17, accidentally flipped his kayak. Despite the dispatcher advising Andruw to stay out of the water, he dove in after seeing his brother attempting to swim. The brothers did not have life jackets with them on the trip.

Rescue teams immediately deployed and began their efforts using helicopters, drones, K9 and ground searches, and sonar technology. However, authorities have yet to locate either boy, despite working around the clock.

According to the updates released to the public, divers were able to locate Andruw's pants on Dec. 17, Wesley's wallet on Dec. 19, and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office found Wesley's jacket with his cellphone inside.

Approximately 280 people were involved in the search for the brothers, including commercial divers. The terrain has added additional challenges to the search due to the overgrown vegetation, some of which reached 30 feet high, and the breakdown of equipment.

With the lack of forward progress in the search, teams are dialing back.

"The search and recovery efforts for Andruw and Wesley Cornett have entered the tenth day at the Thermalito Afterbay. At this point in the recovery, we have exhausted efforts with divers and sonar technology and will shift the focus to a continued limited search. This involves surface search methods which includes aircrafts, drones, boats, on-shore vehicles, and K9s," the Butte County Sheriff's Office wrote on their social media page.

April Clark, the brothers' mother, created a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help April Clark Find and Honor Her Sons." The intention is to raise funds for search and recovery efforts, and to provide financial support for their funerals.

"This is hard for me to write as I'm beyond broken into so many pieces. If you can please find it in your heart to donate and help our family find and lay my handsome two boys to rest, any amount of support will forever be blessed for our family," Clark wrote in her campaign.