BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A body was recovered near Hart Park Tuesday afternoon during an ongoing search for a person reported missing in the Kern River, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the incident began Monday at approximately 11:30 a.m. when emergency crews received reports of three people in distress in the river. Two of those people were rescued, while one remained missing.
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During that rescue operation, authorities received a separate, unrelated report of two additional people in the river. Both of those individuals were successfully rescued.
A body was recovered near Hart Park on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, during the search for a person who went missing in the Kern River after two separate incidents the day before involving five people in the water; four were rescued, while authorities have not confirmed whether the body is the missing individual. (KBAK/KBFX Photo)
In total, five people were involved in the two incidents. Four were rescued and one remained unaccounted for.
The search for the missing person resumed Tuesday morning. At approximately 1 p.m., search crews recovered a body from the river near Hart Park.
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The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said it cannot yet confirm whether the body is the person who went missing during Monday’s incident.
The investigation remains ongoing.