FRANKLIN COUNTY, Arkansas—A missing kayaker from Kansas whose body was found along the Mulberry River in northwest Arkansas has been identified as 57-year-old Hector Rios from Wichita, according to Keith Stephens, Chief of Communications with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Rios was an Optometrist for over 20-years in the Wichita area, according to the bio on his practice web site.
Just after 4p.m. Thursday, Franklin County Search and Rescue found the body in area known locally as the Shoe on the Mulberry River just north of Mill Creek in Franklin County. The body was located along the bank of the river under some brush. Rios had been missing since Saturday afternoon. He was not wearing a life jacked, according to Stephens.
According to practice web site, Dr. Rios was a Kansas native. He graduated from Liberal High School in 1985. He attended Southwestern College, in Winfield. While at Southwestern, he attained All- America status in cross country and track & field. He graduated summa cum laude in 1990, with degrees in biology, chemistry, and art. Dr. Rios graduated from Southern California College of Optometry, “with honors”, in 1994. He started practicing in September of 1994, with Dr. Dorwin H. Graham, in Wichita, and purchased a satellite office in Colwich in March of 1996. Rios is survived by a wife and three children.
The body has been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsy. This occurs after all fatal boating accidents, according to Stephens.