Country Singer Craig Strickland Found Dead Near Oklahoma Lake

The search for Country singer Craig Strickland was found dead near an Oklahoma lake one week after he and his friend went missing.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed Monday that they found Strickland's body on the shoreline of Kaw Lake, where the Backroad Anthem singer's boat had capsized, according to KHBS. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office reported the cause of death as drowning and exposure to freezing temperatures, but the full autopsy is not expected for another four to eight weeks. 

Strickland was declared missing Monday afternoon after his friend, Chase Morland, was found dead in Kaw Lake, OK, within the original search area known as Bear Creek Cove," the release added.

The two friends had embarked on a duck hunting trip  during a storm on Sunday, December 27, 2015, at Kaw Lake in Kay County, Oklahoma.

The family of the singer, 29, has been notified, Philippi wrote and added that more information "will be released when a full update is provided."

Morland tweeted just before going out with his friend, writing,

"In case we don't come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. #IntoTheStorm."

A search was launched yesterday when a boat the two men were reportedly using for the hunting trip north of Tulsa, in Kay County, was found capsized in the early hours of Monday, according to Oklahoma's News9.

His wife, Helen Wisner Strickland, tweeted a heartbreaking message Monday after his body was found.

"#CraigStrickland was found today. He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen."