Police ID Teen Who Died While Kayaking On Long Island

SOUTH JAMESPORT, NY — Police have identified the missing Riverhead kayaker whose body was found Saturday night, authorities said.

Raistlin Ruther, 18, was found in the water in the Hampton Bays area, police said.

According to Riverhead Town Police, on Saturday at 4:13 p.m., a report came in about an overdue kayaker who had launched earlier in the day at 8 a.m. from West Street in South Jamesport into the Great Peconic Bay.

The Riverhead Police Department's dive team was activated and began conducting a search of area waterways while patrol units conducted searches of nearby beaches, police said. The size and scope of the search increased dramatically as daylight diminished and weather conditions worsened, police said.

Several hours later, a capsized kayak believed to belong to Raistlin was located off the shore of Meschutt County Beach in Hampton Bays at 7:40 p.m., police said. The search continued and an hour later, Raistlin's body was discovered in the water in the Hampton Bays area by a Southold Town Police marine helping in the search, police said. His body was recovered from the water, brought to shore in Hampton Bays, and turned over to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office, police said.

A GoFundMe page, "Raistlin Ruther Memorial," has been created by his aunt Carissa Sexton. "My name is Carissa. I am so blessed to be this guy's aunt. Raistlin passed January 2 as he went missing in the bay that he loved to experience while kayaking. To lose someone like him is so difficult to accept. He was your gentle giant, an old man's soul. I always told him how much I admired his maturity, independence, and adventurous spirit. When Raistlin left us, a little piece of us all left with him. I'm hoping to raise funds to contribute to his family's travel expenses, funeral services, and an incredible scholarship to remember him and his love-life spirit," she wrote.

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

(Raitlin Ruther's family posted his photo on Facebook before a desperate search to find him ended in tragedy after his body was recovered from the waters off Hampton Bays.)

The family of the teen had turned to Facebook asking for prayers as police and first responders conducted a massive search across the East End. Although initially the search began in South Jamesport, the backpack and a blue seat cushion were reportedly found at Meschutt Beach County Park, although police could not immediately confirm those details.

Southold and Southampton Town Police Departments checked surrounding areas and emergency boats from numerous fire departments from both the North and South Forks participated in the search, police said. Suffolk County Police Aviation Section responded and the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and responded with a rescue helicopter and marine vessels, police said.

There was a full moon tide, a west wind, and a small craft advisory Saturday evening.
Police have not released the teen's name.

"Thank you, everyone, for your support," Raistlin's aunt Denise Kennedy-Schwarz wrote on Facebook. "Our nephew has been found. Not the outcome we wanted. We are numb. Please pray for our family, for the upcoming days, to lay our sweet nephew to rest."

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