Search crews across Newaygo County are hunting for two Muskegon women and a 9-year-old boy who disappeared during a tubing trip on the Muskegon River, with searchers recovering two inner tubes believed to belong to the group but no sign yet of the missing trio. Sarah Vida, 28, her son Kayden Kovalcik, 9, and her cousin Jazzmin Hock, 28, were last seen on the river on Tuesday, and family members say they have not been able to reach any of them since.
Michigan State Police reported that the two inflatable tubes tied to the missing group were located during the search, according to CBS News Detroit. A Michigan State Police Hart Post update relayed by WOOD Radio specified that the group had set out using one orange inner tube and one pink inner tube before vanishing. Search teams are also evaluating footprints found along the riverbank as part of the ongoing investigation, per the CBS Detroit report.
The case first came into focus when the father of one of the missing women found her vehicle parked at the Maple Island Boat Launch, located along the Muskegon River in the Bridgeton Township park system in Newaygo County. That vehicle was discovered with a broken window, though authorities have not said how or when the damage occurred. The Maple Island launch sits within a self-funded township park system operated entirely through user fees, without state or county tax dollars, according to Bridgeton Township records.
Family Says No One Knew Where the Group Planned to Stop
Brent Kovalcik, Kayden's father and Vida's ex-husband, told WZZM 13 that he did not learn about the tubing outing until late Wednesday afternoon. He said he was troubled that the group never communicated an intended stopping point along the river, a detail that has complicated the search given how much of the waterway remains uncharted for investigators. Family members have said they were unable to reach any of the three once they realized something was wrong.
The uncertainty over where the group meant to end their trip matters because of the sheer scale of the search area. Recreational guides published by Newaygo County Exploring note that a standard float route on this stretch of river runs from Bridgeton Township Park down to the Maple Island Boat Launch, a trip that typically takes tubers and paddlers around five hours to complete. Without a confirmed exit point, search crews have had to treat a much wider swath of the Muskegon River as active territory.
Multi-Agency Teams Have Combed the River Since Wednesday
Search efforts have drawn on ground personnel, watercraft, drones, and teams from both the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources working active segments of the river. Crews launched initial drone and boat searches Wednesday evening before pausing operations at 10:25 p.m. due to nightfall, then resumed water searches at 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the same WZZM 13 reporting.
The Muskegon River is Michigan's second-longest river, stretching 216 miles from Houghton Lake down to Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, per the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. That length, combined with debris accumulation and shifting currents along different stretches, has made for a demanding search even with multiple agencies involved.
River Has Turned Deadly Before
This is not the first time the Muskegon River has proven dangerous for tubers in Newaygo County. In July 2017, a 25-year-old male tuber went missing near Devil's Hole in Brooks Township and was later found deceased 1.5 miles downstream by dive teams, according to a release from the Newaygo County Sheriff's Office. The river's conditions have also drawn scrutiny this year for reasons beyond recreation — Hoodline reported in April that Newaygo County officials had ordered urgent floodplain evacuations below Croton Dam after heavy runoff pushed water levels toward record crests.
Michigan State Police have asked anyone with information about Vida, Hock, or Kovalcik to come forward. Tips can be directed to Newaygo Central Dispatch at 231-689-5288, the Newaygo County Sheriff's Office at 231-689-7303, or the Michigan State Police Hart Post at 231-873-2171. As of the latest update, authorities have not said whether foul play is suspected, and the search for the mother, son, and cousin continues.
