Body of missing kayaker from Sound Beach found in Lake Ronkonkoma

LAKE RONKONKOMA (WABC) -- Police found the body this afternoon of the kayaker who disappeared on Lake Ronkonkoma last week.

The Suffolk County Police Department said Saturday afternoon that with the assistance of New York state troopers, it recovered

the body of Kevin Conley, 40, of Sound Beach, around noon. They used sonar and dive teams to assist in the search, and she was found in 46 feet of water off the eastern shore of the lake. The body was taken to the medical examiner's office where the cause of death will be determined.

Conley vanished around 3 p.m. Aug. 14 while kayaking on Lake Ronkonkoma.

After several full days of searching, authorities recovered the kayak on Aug. 13, but not the boater.

No swimming or boating was allowed at the lake after Conley disappeared. The lake was reopened to the public late Saturday afternoon.

Suffolk County police said witnesses notified 911 around 3:30 p.m. Thursday that Conley was in the water calling for help. The witnesses said his life vest came off and he disappeared.

Over the years, there have been several drownings in 243-acre Lake Ronkonkoma, the largest of Long Island's freshwater lakes. According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, parts of the lake are 65 feet deep. But most of it is less than 15 feet deep.