On the evening of Friday, April 24, 2026, Mark Alan Hanes, a 48-year-old man from Lakeview, Arkansas, told his family he was going fishing on Bull Shoals Lake. He left around 5 p.m. and was expected to return after dark. When he failed to come home, his concerned family went looking for him. They found his truck and trailer still parked at the Howard Creek boat ramp, but there was no sign of Mark.
The following morning, his empty boat was discovered washed up on the bank, intensifying the fears for his safety. The Baxter County Sheriff's Office was notified, and an official missing person report was filed on April 25, 2026.
An extensive search was launched involving multiple agencies, including the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Baxter County Sheriff's Office. For several days, search and rescue teams, including a dive team, scoured the lake, using sonar technology to search beneath the water's surface. Despite their exhaustive efforts, they were unable to locate Mr. Hanes. He was a man with several nicknames, including Marcus, Bubba, and Maveric, and had distinctive features like a scar on the bridge of his nose and another on his right knee. When he was last seen, he was wearing a grey shirt, black cargo pants, a grey Tractor Supply ball cap, and white sunglasses with blue lenses.
Sadly, the search came to a heartbreaking end. On Monday, June 1, 2026, rangers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were conducting routine boat dock checks in the Howard Creek area when they discovered a body in the water. The remains were recovered southwest of the Howard Creek Boat Ramp and turned over to the Baxter County Coroner's Office. While the body was believed to be that of Mark Hanes, it was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory's Medical Examiner's Office for a forensic examination to confirm the identity. Regrettably, the case of the missing fisherman was closed, as Mark Hanes was located deceased, though the exact date of his passing remains uncertain. The investigation began with a report of an overdue fisherman whose vehicle was found at the boat launch. The discovery of his empty boat the next day led to a multi-day search operation that was ultimately unsuccessful. Over a month later, his remains were discovered by chance, bringing a sad conclusion to the uncertainty his family had been enduring.Last Seen: Apr 24, 2026
