NEWAYGO COUNTY, Mich. – Body camera footage released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources shows how conservation officers used their knowledge of the area and specialized tracking skills to find three people who went missing while tubing on the Muskegon River.
Jazman Hock, 28, of Muskegon; Sarah Vida, 28, of Muskegon; and Vida’s 9-year-old son, Kayden Kovalcik, were found safe and alive Friday, Aug. 7, after a dayslong search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, emergency responders and volunteers.
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The three were located at about 4:36 p.m., approximately three-quarters of a mile northeast of the Mill Iron Road Boat Launch, police said.
A Michigan State Police K-9 team and DNR conservation officers were involved in the discovery.
In body-worn camera footage released by the DNR on Monday (Aug. 10) on Facebook, CO Cameron Wright explained how the officers used their familiarity with the area to focus their search on a remote section of the riverbank.
Wright said the officers identified the location because they believed it was one of the most remote areas the river could have pulled the tubers.
The area was far from roads and houses, making it a particularly difficult place for someone to become lost.
The officers then spotted a trail through the grass in the middle of a logjam.
Wright said the trail indicated the tubers had traveled over logs, through the water and onto the riverbank before entering the woods.
The officers located footprints in the mud and began following the trail into the trees.
They searched for small changes in the environment that could show where the missing people had traveled, including disturbed vegetation and broken branches.
“We followed the track, looking for areas where ferns were tipped over, grass was bent, sticks were snapped, all in a certain direction,” Wright said.
What happened
The three people went missing after entering the Muskegon River on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from the Maple Island Boat Launch near Bridgeton, officials said.
The investigation began after the father of one of the women found her vehicle at the boat launch with a broken window.
Family members also reported that they had not heard from the group.
Two inflatable tubes believed to belong to the missing people were later found, and search crews discovered footprints that were evaluated as part of the investigation.
The search expanded to include multiple law enforcement agencies, emergency responders and volunteers.
Before the three were found, Kayden’s father, Brent Kovalcik, spoke about the uncertainty surrounding his son’s disappearance.
“I don’t know if they’re alive, I don’t know if they were kidnapped, I don’t know if they’re down the river, far, far away,” Kovalcik said.
The discovery Friday afternoon, Aug. 8, 2026, brought an emotional end to the search.
Officials said no additional information would be released at the time out of respect for the privacy of those involved.