The body of Ralph Der, a 59-year-old Prince George man who fell into Carp Lake two Sundays ago, has been recovered.
Der was found Wednesday with the help of a specialist in underwater recovery brought in from Idaho by his family, and equipped with advanced side sonar, North District RCMP Cst. Lesley Smith said Thursday after a search by the RCMP was called off last week.
Der was in a boat on the lake in the provincial park two hours north of Prince George, fishing with two friends when he jumped into the water to retrieve a hat.
However, he wasn't wearing a life jacket and by the time the boat, which was traveling at a slow, trolling speed, had been turned around to retrieve him, the man could not be found. After making several attempts to find him, the two companions returned to shore and called police.
Weather was excellent, alcohol didn't play a factor and no foul play is suspected, police said.
An RCMP dive team and sonar were brought in but rough weather and equipment trouble delayed a start of the search until Thursday.
A search of the area where the companions believed Der fell in was conducted but the crew was unable to find anything and a wider search of the lake, which covers 5,700 hectares, was ruled out.
The B.C. Coroner Service has taken over the investigation and released his name late Thursday afternoon.
