Backroad Anthem’s Craig Strickland Missing After Morning Hunt, Friend Chase Morland Found Dead

Craig Strickland (L) Chase Morland (R), Image via Twitter

Backroad Anthem lead singer Craig Strickland, 29, has gone missing and his friend, Chase Morland, 22, has been found dead after embarking on a duck hunting trip in Oklahoma early Sunday morning (Dec. 27). Morland sent the following Tweet on Saturday night (Dec. 26) before they set out into the wintry conditions and Strickland retweeted the message shortly after.

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

— Chase Morland (@ChaseMorland) December 27, 2015

 The pair left for the hunt around 2am Sunday. According to Oklahoma’s News 9, search efforts began after Strickland’s family had not made contact with him for 24 hours. Authorities reportedly discovered a capsized boat belonging to the pair just after 12am Monday, but saw no sign of Strickland or Morland. Due to weather conditions, the search was suspended around 2am and resumed around 6:30 am Monday. Hours later, around 11am, authorities found Morland’s body, US Weekly reports. The search for Strickland is on-going.

The Arkansas based band took to Facebook to ask fans for their prayers.

“As some of you may know at this point yesterday early morning about 2 am Craig Strickland & his good friend Chase Morland headed out to go duck hunting. We received a text last night from Randy Strickland asking us band members to pray for Craig and Chase, because they had not made any kind of contact with families in 24 hours,” the band wrote. “We do know they issued a search party which ended last night about 2 am, and that they were resuming the search party this morning at 6:30 am. We are asking all fans to please pray for Craig & Chase to be found safe and sound. Please also pray for Craigs family, his wife, and for us band members. We love you guys and we appreciate your ever loving support for our dream.‪#‎PowerInPrayer‬  We do not know much more information at this point. So we do ask for your respect in this matter until we learn any further details.”

About five hours later, after Morland’s body was found, Backroad Anthem posted the following message:

“Everyone please say special prayers for the family of Chase Morland. They were very close friends and it is such a heartbreaking loss. Randy Strickland (Craig’s father) has informed us Craig has not been found. Please keep praying for his safety.”

This evening, Crag’s father Randy, shared the news that the family’s dog Sam was found and is doing well.

Search efforts will continue Tuesday morning.