The Helendale community and local authorities breathed a somber sigh of relief as the search for the missing senior, David Kendall, came to a tragic close on the last day of 2023. The 68-year-old with dementia reported missing from his home on Schooner Drive since Thursday afternoon, was found deceased Sunday morning in the Lake of Silver Lakes neighborhood.
After Kendall went missing, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, along with the help of Deputy C. Allen and her K-9 Nyx, scoured the Silver Lakes area for signs of the local man who was known to wander around the vicinity, passing by spots like the Mobil Market and the lakeside, according to a Hoodline report. Despite initial efforts on the night of his disappearance, the urgency in finding Kendall was palpable, given his dementia, the community joined in the effort, spreading the word and reviewing surveillance footage in the hopes of locating him.
A breakthrough came from a neighborhood surveillance camera, which showed the last known whereabouts of Mr. Kendall near the water, leading deputies to believe he might've ended up in the lake, this was later confirmed when the sheriff's department dive team located his body early in the morning, as reported by the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department.
The discovery of Kendall's body has put an end to the wide-ranging hunt that involved multiple divisions of the Sheriff’s Department and Detective Curtis Bennington of the Victor Valley Station, the case continues to be under investigation by the authorities and Detective Bennington is leading the case with number 072304645, as the community mourns the loss, the Department reminds the public to come forward with any information by contacting Deputy C. Alfred or submitting tips through the We-Tip Hotline, the heartfelt appeals for public assistance throughout the search demonstrate the critical role residents play in such heartrending situations.
