Father last seen ice surfing is found dead years later, Missouri cops say
The remains of an ice surfer who vanished without a trace more than two years ago have been found, Missouri authorities say.
Aaron Duenke, a 34-year-old father of two, had last been seen two days after Christmas in 2022 paddling down the Missouri River on a chunk of ice near Washington, McClatchy News reported at the time.
He was considered an “avid and experienced river paddler,” according to a GoFundMe.
Before he went missing, Duenke told officers he didn’t need assistance and that he “had done this before,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
But for reasons still unknown two years later, Duenke disappeared in the river.
Until April 13, 2025, when a citizen found the remains of Duenke on the shore near Chesterfield, a suburb of St. Louis and about a 35-mile drive from Washington, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A cause of death is unclear.
Neal Moore, a friend of Duenke’s, said Duenke had paddled thousands of miles before. He said his friend had a “passion for adventure.”
“Aaron fell in love with big river paddle boarding and the culture behind big river recreation,” Moore said. “He has experienced the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in multiple states.”
Duenke was a married father of two, according to KSDK, which spoke to his brother after he went missing. Curtis Duenke described his brother as a “thrill seeker.”
“A true one-of-a-kind, Aaron’s heart and love of all mankind ran deeper and longer than any river,” a family friend said in a GoFundMe. “If you knew Aaron personally, you were loved immensely by him and if you didn’t know him personally, you were still loved by Aaron.
“To say he was thoughtful and kind-hearted was an understatement as he was guided by his heart, always willing to lend a hand even when not asked and was, as some describe ‘a beacon of love.’”
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Father last seen ice surfing is found dead years later, Missouri cops say."