Amagansett body 'quite possibly' that of kayaker

An investigator said Thursday a body found on an Amagansett beach this week "quite possibly" could be that of a missing kayaker, and that the body may be identified Thursday afternoon.

Fengquan Guan, 33, of Beijing, was visiting friends in Milford, Conn., when he went kayaking on May 9 at about 11 a.m. He hasn't been seen since.

His kayak washed ashore in Southold May 11, authorities said.

Officials are hopeful the Suffolk County medical examiner's office will have a positive identification on the body as soon as Thursday afternoon, East Hampton Town police Det. Sgt. Chris Anderson said Thursday.

He said his department has been in contact with the Milford police department as well as other agencies in an attempt to research "all the possibilities leading to identification."

"There are indicators that it may be the missing [man] from Connecticut," Anderson said. "Quite possibly, this could be him."

Because Guan is not a U.S. citizen, records have not been readily available, Anderson said.

Police said a jogger running near Marine Boulevard saw the body in the surf early Tuesday.

On Wednesday, authorities said Guan was one of several missing persons police were attempting to match.

Asked if it was possible for a body to have drifted from the Long Island Sound, around the East End and onto an Atlantic Ocean beach, East Hampton police Capt. Ed Ecker told Newsday: "In my experience, it would be unusual. But I am told it is possible."

When Guan disappeared, seas were 2 feet to 3 feet, with gusts of up to 23 mph. The water was about 50 degrees. Guan was wearing a lifejacket, officials said.

The Coast Guard, which briefly resumed its search for Guan after the kayak was found, estimated he could have survived in the water for about 14 hours.

Some of his relatives traveled from China to Connecticut after his disappearance and offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who was able to find him.