NEED TO KNOW
- Ian Alexander Shelton’s body was recovered from Lake Afton in Kansas more than a month after he went missing
- “I want people to remember him as someone who gave up a lot to be with his mom, who’s fighting cancer, and was always there for her when she needed him,” his friend Justin Stroud said
- Detectives confirmed that Shelton had been at the lake during the early hours of Dec. 3 and suspected he may have been experiencing a “mental health crisis”
A missing man’s body was recovered from Kansas’ Lake Afton more than a month after he reportedly vanished from a night out.
Ian Alexander Shelton’s remains were recovered on the south side of the lake on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 10, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said.
His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Authorities first sought the public’s help with locating Shelton, 30, on Dec. 5 after he was reported missing, according to a news release.
Shelton was last seen leaving the Let’s Roll Seneca bowling alley at 9:30 p.m. local time on Dec. 2 and was considered endangered because of the cold weather and the clothes he was wearing.
Detectives searched the Lake Afton area on Dec. 6 and, two days later, confirmed that Shelton had been at the lake during the early hours of Dec. 3. They suspected he may have been experiencing a “mental health crisis” at the time of his disappearance.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
“We don’t show any other signs right now to think that there was any foul play … I know there’s been some speculation on social media about that,” Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Capt. Matthew Lynch told ABC affiliate KAKE last month, noting that Shelton seemed to be with a woman at the lake.
“We are trying to preserve evidence or statements that we get in case this does turn into a criminal investigation,” Lynch said then.
On Dec. 9, the sheriff’s office led a “large-scale coordinated search of approximately 3.5 square miles in and around Lake Afton Park,” according to a news release.
But after finding no signs of Shelton after days of search efforts, organized operations were concluded on Dec. 10.
“It’s just been like holding your breath for as long as you can, hoping for air,” Justin Stroud, a close friend, told KAKE of what it was like searching for Shelton alongside more of his loved ones.
“We met when he was 13. I’m a little bit older than him, but we met through a really close friend of ours, and we hit it off right away,” Stroud said.
According to the sheriff’s office, Sedgwick County firefighters were finally able to recover Shelton’s body on Saturday when an individual reported an unidentified object “floating in the water.”
“This case remains an open and active investigation,“ officials said. “The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to the family and friends of Ian Alexander Shelton during this difficult time.”
Stroud has remembered his longtime friend for his positive and supportive personality — especially when it came to supporting his mom during her journey with stage four cancer.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
“He was an amazing person. There’s not anybody that knew Ian that would ever have anything bad to say about him,” Stroud told KAKE. “He lit up rooms when he walked into them.”
“I want people to remember him as someone who gave up a lot to be with his mom, who’s fighting cancer, and was always there for her when she needed him,” he added.
Shelton’s mother, Stacy, also paid tribute to him on social media.
“I always hoped that they would have been able to spend years together playing guitar,” she wrote of her late husband and son on Facebook. “I’m comforted to know that Ian is with his Mark making music once again.”
In a separate post, she added, “I love you son.”
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