Ponder This!!!

I have been rafting throughout the summer but yesterday was special. There was a guy that had been missing since Saturday and i found him three days later. It was pretty typical as far as finding dead people goes. Our boats floated right past the body without any customers noticing then we stopped double checked to be sure then called the sheriff (i brought my cell phone because i knew i would be looking for him). I swam over to check him out while we waited for the authorities to arrive. he was bloated, blistered, gray, face down, stinky, and relatively still. later Monday night the news came over to interview me. lesson learned: go rafting with me, don't go tubing drunk without a life jacket. I got pictures on my cell phone i will post them later.

Update: here is the link for my picture. It isnt very graphic but i know some people dont want to see it Check it out

Also: here is a transcript of the news story

Man discovers body in Kern River

Last Update: 7/28 5:35 pm

For David Bunting, he was just showing tourists what can be a beautiful, but deadly Kern River. That's when he saw something.

"My hands were getting shaky and I think my voice was starting to quiver a little bit," says Bunting. "Maybe a little nervous to see him right there, because when I realized it was actually him and there was a body there, I was probably 15-20 feet away."

Bunting is a tour guide who shows people the Kern River via water rafting. He and his crew called Kern County Search and Rescue out to the scene.

Authorities believe the body is a 60 year old man from southern California, who disappeared on Saturday, but a positive identification had not been made as of Monday night.

"The person that was removed from the river today was not wearing a life vest," said Michael Wharf of the Kern County Sheriff's Department.

Before leaving on the rafting tour, Bunting knew a man had been missing for a few days. He and his crew developed a plan to shield tourists from the body in case they came across it.

"I made everybody aware that the body's there and we had women and children and small kids on the boat and I didn't want them having a horrible experience rafting," said Bunting. "So I made sure that if we found the body, we all knew what we'd do and we'd keep everybody away from it."

That is what he and his guides were able to do and Bunting says he's glad the search is finally over.

"It was a relief too, because I know the family had been looking for their deceased relative," says Bunting. "I'm sure they'll be glad and sad at the same time, but it'll bring some closure I think."

Officials say the body matches the missing man's description, but the coroner still has to make a positive identification.