A 19-year-old Omaha man's body was recovered Saturday days after he drowned in Wehrspann Lake at Chalco Hills Recreation Area.
First responders search for Omaha man Wyatt Bernal, 19, on Friday, July 3, 2026, after his canoe capsized in Wehrspann Lake at Chalco Hills Recreation Area in Sarpy County. Bernal's body was recovered Saturday, July, 4, 2026.
Wyatt Bernal’s body was recovered from the lake Saturday morning after a multi-day search conducted by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, Gretna Fire and Rescue, the Omaha Fire Department and numerous other agencies.
The search began shortly after 8:05 p.m. Thursday when sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were first called to the lake near 144th Street and Interstate 80 after the canoe, which had Bernal and another man inside, capsized. The canoe’s overturning threw both men into the water. The other man was able to swim to shore.
The Papillion Police Department, La Vista Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Waterloo Fire and Rescue, Bennington Fire and Rescue and Nebraska Game and Parks also responded and helped search for Bernal.
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First responders used boats and drones to search for Bernal until midnight on the first day. On Friday — the second day of the search — rescuers deployed sonar and drones as they searched for Bernal beginning at 7 a.m. Incoming severe thunderstorms halted their search efforts at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, first responders resumed their search and recovered Bernal’s body from the lake around 10:25 a.m.
The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the incident.
