December 29, 2015
Officials are searching for the lead singer of a country group who went missing during a hunting trip in Oklahoma over the weekend.
The search began Sunday after 29-year-old Craig Strickland, lead singer of country-rock group Backroad Anthem, and his 22-year-old friend Chase Morland failed to return from duck hunting on Kaw Lake, according to NBC affiliate KFOR.
According to a statement from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Morland's body was found in the lake on Monday.
An eerie tweet was posted on Sunday morning ahead of the pair's trip on what appears to be Morland's Twitter account.
In case we don't come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. 😅 #IntoTheStorm
— Chase Morland (@ChaseMorland) December 27, 2015
Backroad Anthem said on its Facebook page that the band is "believing in a miracle" and asked for prayers for both Morland and Strickland's families.
Please say special prayers for Chase Morland. They were very close. Craig is still missing please pray 4 safe retrn pic.twitter.com/pbM3qNUAWS
— Backroad Anthem (@BackroadAnthem) December 28, 2015
The band also shared a message from Strickland's father Randy.
The search has been called off for the night, bringing boat with sonar in morning. A friend gave me these words! We are trying to think of a scenario where he is still alive. Hoping against the odds. We can't even stand to think about it. We are devastated. Only God & time can put us back together. Love all!
Severe storms unleashed floods and tornadoes in Oklahoma and the central United States over the Christmas holiday weekend.
The search was expected to resume Tuesday morning.
