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Residents Saddened After Bodies Found in Lake

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ERIE COUNTY, Ohio — They were missing for weeks.

But Friday, officials said the bodies of a father and daughter who disappeared during a kayaking trip in Erie County had been found.

The female is believed to be that of 12-year-old Viola Francis, according to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. The male was positively identified as her father, 30-year-old Jonathan Francis.

Viola and her father haven’t been seen since the first week of April, when they launched their kayaks from Crystal Rock and headed toward Edison Bridge.

Crews from United States Coast Guard Marblehead were dispatched just after 11 a.m. Friday after someone reported seeing a body about 8.5 miles north of the Vermilion River, a United States Coast Guard spokesperson said.

After the girl’s body was recovered, family members tentatively identified her based on descriptions of clothing and jewelry she was wearing on the day of her disappearance, according to Sheriff Paul Sigsworth.

Friday’s grim discovery reignited the search for Viola’s father.

He was discovered off the Cedar Point break wall at about 2 p.m. He was identified through a tattoo on his left arm.

Meantime, the news of Jonathan and Viola’s death has saddened a quiet, campground community.

“After they went missing, my wife and I put up a lighthouse as a beacon of hope,” said Bryan Griffin, a family friend.

Family members said Jonathan and Viola did everything together, and loved to spend time on the water.

“It’s just tragic that a beacon of hope has now become a memorial,” said Griffin.

*For additional coverage on this story, click HERE.



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