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Body recovered from Beaverdam Reservoir believed to be lost paddleboarder

Authorities have identified the woman as Leilani Funaki, 38, of Fairfax County.

ASHBURN, Va. — A body recovered from the Beaverdam Reservoir in Ashburn is believed to be a woman who went paddleboarding by herself Thursday evening and never returned.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office tweeted Sunday evening that the body recovered from the Beaverdam Reservoir is believed to be of a 38-year-old Fairfax woman. 

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office -- with the help of the Virginia State Police and Fairfax County Police -- had done a thorough search of the area using both a helicopter and K9 teams since the woman went missing Thursday evening.

"We would also like to thank the community for your assistance," Loudoun County Sheriff's officials tweeted. 

Authorities have identified the woman as Leilani Funaki, 38, of Fairfax County.

Investigators continued to search around the waters at Beaverdam Reservoir on Friday for the missing woman.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, the woman went paddleboarding by herself around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday.

A day later, the search for the unidentified woman brought at least one boat and several crews to the reservoir to look for any sign of her.

Normally, the scenic reservoir welcomes visitors looking to hike, fish, or spend time on the water.

However, the disappearance case has now brought worry to those who frequently swing by the site.

"I’m sad because it hits close to home," Ben Kelahan, who helps organize occasional clean-up events at Beaverdam Reservoir, told WUSA9 in an interview. "This could be somebody that I’ve run into trying to help each other out.”

Kelahan said that the reservoir has seen a spike in visitors looking for an outdoor escape during the pandemic.

RELATED: Sheriffs: Search for missing paddleboarder on Beaverdam Reservoir continues

RELATED: 'Wish we could have been out there' | Missing paddleboarder brings concerns for Beaverdam Reservoir visitors

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