Kayaker Dies on Lake Norman

Photo by Jason Benavides

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the original report pending results of an autopsy.

Josh Scribben, of Cornelius, died Wednesday on Lake Norman near Holiday Marina off Henderson Road. Cornelius Police and Cornelius-Lemley Fire and Rescue assisted North Carolina Wildlife Resources in what the town called a “drowning recovery operation.”

According to NC Wildlife Resources, police were called at 2:24 p.m. after witnesses saw a man hanging from the side of a kayak drifting in Knox Creek Cove. When officers arrived, the kayak was empty. Scribben was later recovered in the lake by a Wildlife Resources unit.

NC Wildlife said Scribben was not wearing a life jacket. The incident remains under investigation pending an autopsy.