Recovered Body May Be Missing Hunter’s

A body believed to be that of a missing duck hunter was found Saturday on Camano Beach, near Livingston Bay, the Island County sheriff’s office said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and rescue crews from Island and Snohomish counties and Camano Island had been searching for Ken Sylvester, 24, of Marysville since his boat capsized off Kayak Point on Friday.

Sylvester’s hunting partner, Glen Bartolotti, 25, also of Marysville, struggled for more than four hours to reach land at Barnham Point on the eastern shore of Camano Island and walked to a house to seek help.

Gale warnings had been posted for the waters around Camano Island.

The two men and their dogs had been traveling between Kayak Point on the mainland and Barnham Point when their 15-foot boat capsized and sank about 9 a.m. Only one of the dogs survived, the Island County sheriff’s office said.

Bartolotti told Burt it only took about 30 seconds for waves to swamp the boat. Bartolotti was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital and later sent home.

He told rescuers he was wearing a life jacket, but water filled his waders and dragged him underwater. By dumping the waders, he was able to resurface and swim to shore.

“He was in the water from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.,” said Scott Koehler, chief of Camano Island Fire and Rescue. “He crawled up on the land, came across a lady and requested medical aid because he was cold, and said that the other gentleman is still in the water.”