Search On For Kayaker Reported In Trouble Off Jetty Island

Editor’s Update Wed 4:45 PM: This in from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. SCME completed the exam & confirmed the ID of the 37-year-old male found deceased in the water of Possession Sound near Hat Island on 11/10/2021. The decedent is James K. Lesemann of Everett, WA. Cause Of Death is hypothermia & drowning. Manner Of Death is Accident.
Editor’s Update Wed 10:00AM: Everett Police say crews from U.S. Naval Station Whidbey Island recovered a body believed to be the kayaker searchers had been looking for since Tuesday morning. The Medical Examiner will handle the identification along with cause and manner of death.
Editor’s Update Wed 8:00AM: Additional resources from the Navy and Coast Guard added to search off Jetty Island for a missing kayaker. Everett Police Marine Units also going out on the water.

Editor’s Update 6:00 PM Tuesday: At darkness Everett Fire and Everett Police Marine Units headed ashore and said they would re-evaluate in the morning. Meanwhile the U.S. Coast Guard posted the following message on Twitter at 5:30 PM. A #USCG helicopter has flown several search patterns NE of Hat Island w/ no results. They are refueling and will return to the scene. The crew of an 87-foot patrol boat has arrived and will begin searching. There are no plans to stop our search at this time.
Original Post 3:30 PM: At about 12:45 PM Tuesday afternoon a person called 9-1-1 reporting they were having issues and needed help as they were on the west side of Jetty Island and having trouble. The line was then lost.

A helicopter was dispatched by the U.S. Coast Guard. Marine units staffed by Everett Fire and Everett Police took to the water and a drone was also being used to search for the person who called.

The Coast Guard chopper spotted a kayak on the west side of the Jetty. Marine Patrols checked the kayak but it was empty.

The search area is primarily between the north end of Jetty Island and Priest Point. Nothing else found as we near the 3-hour mark in the search as of this writing. We’ll update as more information is made available.