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Team coverage The search for a man missing in Utah Lake since Saturday night is over. Crews have recovered the body of Craig Decker, the West Jordan man missing and presumed drowned in Utah Lake last week.
Utah County sheriff's office Sgt. Spencer Cannon says Decker's body was spotted at 9:43 a.m., a few hours into the fourth day of a search.
Cannon said, "It was in the same general area. The water was a little more than 10 feet deep where he was found, and other than him being in the water, there is no indication of what happened. That will be determined at the medical examiner's office."
Cannon said the body was found 1 mile south and 1 mile west of the Utah Lake State Park Marina.
For three days, searchers and divers have been trying to recover the body of the 25-year-old man who was on a sailboat with his family on Saturday night. He went into the water after an oar and, even though his family says he was a good swimmer, the waves of the water were too much, and he didn't resurface.
Craig's father, Lyle Decker, had been out in a boat last night retracing the tragic sailing trip and helped put searchers in the right place. Today, he talked a little bit more about when his son disappeared in the water.
"He just stepped into the water to get the paddle. But the wind blows very hard, and boats drift away from people," Lyle said. He says his son was a strong swimmer, and he's guessing the 3-foot waves constantly crashing over his son's head was just too much for him.
His family is trying to find peace with his death and today offered their thanks to the search and rescue teams.
"As a family, we appreciate so much what has been done and want people to know, in this state, that they are in good hands, and these people are wonderful people who are on the search and rescue team," Lyle said.
Craig Decker was a student at BYU and had faced the challenge of losing one of his arms in a fireworks accident last year.
His family plans a funeral for him sometime next week and has started a Web site, www.craig-decker.com , where people can share memories of him and grieve together.
The Decker family also plans a scholarship fund in Craig's memory.
If you would like to send monetary donations to the family, you can do so at any Key Bank branch under the "Craig Decker Fund."
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
