Crime & Safety

Second Body Found in Lake Washington is ID'd as Missing Bellevue Kayaker

Police do not suspect a crime; Bellevue utility worker found the body in Lake Washington off the Newport Shores neighborhood.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Friday afternoon that Christopher Rominski, 46, of Bellevue accidentally drowned in Lake Washington on Feb. 12.

Bellevue police recovered a body in Lake Washington off a private beach in the Newport Shores neighborhood Wednesday morning.

 floating in the water just after 10 a.m. while doing routine work along the shoreline of the lake, Bellevue police spokeswoman Officer Carla Iafrate said.

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There is no crime suspected, she said.

 as he was kayaking in windy conditions and rough water off Newport Shores in the East Channel of Lake Washington. A homeowner saw him slipping under the waves without resurfacing. and U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue teams later found the empty kayak, skirt and paddle near the location where he was last seen. Rominski was reported missing the same day after he set off on his kayak from Enatai Beach Park.

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Stormy weather prompting a Wind Advisory from the National Weather Service hit just as he went missing and complicated the efforts of rescuers, which included the Mercer Island Police Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard.


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