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Couple found dead in Strawberry Reservoir after canoe capsizes

Rescue crews pulled the bodies of two missing campers out of a creek feeding into Strawberry Reservoir this weekend.

Police had been searching for the couple — 26-year-old Chenoa L. Plank and 24-year-old Benjamin S. Magalis — since the two were reported missing Thursday night. Plank, Magalis and Plank’s dog set out on the camping trip Nov. 11 and planned to be gone until Tuesday. Plank’s father called police after they didn’t return home, according to a news release on the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Officers found Magalis' body on Saturday and Plank’s on Sunday. They believe the couple drowned after their canoe capsized while fishing near Chicken Creek West, on the north side of the reservoir. The water was near freezing.

Searchers found the canoe overturned and submerged near a small island in the reservoir Friday morning. The couple’s dog was found alive and wearing a lifejacket on the shore, Wasatch County Chief Deputy Jared Rigby said.

The reservoir is about 34 miles southeast of Heber City.