UPDATE: On Aug. 20, officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced that crews have recovered a body at Saguaro Lake, and they believe the body is that of Richard Powers. Original story below.
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. – A paddleboarder went missing in Saguaro Lake early Sunday morning, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
What we know:
Richard Powers, 65, was last seen on Aug. 17 at around 5:45 a.m. near boat ramp 1.
“Richard Powers was last seen paddleboarding at Saguaro Lake near boar ramp 1, located in the Tonto National Forest. Richard’s paddleboard and personal belongings were located on the southside of Saguaro Lake near Captain’s Nook,” MCSO said on Facebook.
He was last seen wearing a lime green hooded sweatshirt, black shorts and flip-flops.
65-year-old Richard Powers
What they’re saying:
Powers’ friends, who call him Rick, said he is an incredibly athletic and fit retired man who is on the lake often. He was out training early Sunday and when he didn’t return by his usual 7 a.m. time, friends became worried.
They believe he may have had a medical episode.
A friend of his, Court Fetter, described Powers as a “prince of puns” and a beloved member of the local paddleboarding community.
“Anybody that’s entered our doors knew Rick, especially on the weekends,” Fetter said. “He liked being in the mix, liked staying busy. He hated sitting down. He’s like, ‘I’m going to go do something.’ Like, he had to keep moving.”
A boater said she would have searched for him if she had known what had happened.
“I wish I would’ve known that there was somebody missing because we could’ve been looking for somebody. I had no idea. But I really hope that they find him. That’s terrible,” said boater Allegra Bueche.
Meanwhile, his friends want to keep his love for the sport alive.
“He was just trying to spread the sport, the love of it. And the community that goes with it,” Fetter said. “He’ll be greatly missed. And if anyone comes into the shop, make sure you mention him because it means a lot to us.”
MCSO continues search for Powers 
Search continues for missing Saguaro Lake paddleboarder
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its search for 65-year-old Richard Powers, who was last seen early on the morning of Aug. 17 at Saguaro Lake. His body has not been found, and FOX 10’s Steve Nielsen has more on the search efforts.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is searching Saguaro Lake for the missing man, focusing on several areas after his cell phone was found on his paddleboard.
An MCSO boat is searching the lake around the clock, and a team of three is using a sonar device to find anything that looks out of place.
“It will look at the bottom of the lake and then things above for anomalies,” MCSO’s William Jinks said. “Our aviation unit was out doing a grid search of the whole area.”
A cell phone found on Powers’ paddleboard shows the path the board took, but search teams do not know when Powers left the board.
“Unfortunately, this lake is 10 miles long and 1,200 acres with depths of 90 feet,” Jinks said.
MCSO says Powers was known to wear a life jacket, but it was a waist-type that requires a person to pull it to inflate. The search for the man will continue in the coming days until he is found.
What you can do:
If you have information about this, click here to contact the sheriff’s office.