Body of country singer Craig Strickland recovered

KAY COUNTY, Okla. -- The body of country singer Craig Strickland was recovered Monday morning by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, an official said.

The 29-year-old went missing on Dec. 26 while on a duck hunting trip in Kay County, Oklahoma with his friend Chase Morland, 22, in the middle of a monster winter rain storm pummeling the South.

The pair's boat was found that day, and Morland's body was recovered from the lake on Dec. 28.

Strickland is the lead singer of the Arkansas-based country-rock band Backroad Anthem. They were scheduled to play in Little Rock, Ark., on New Year's Eve.

The pair tweeted about a trip into "Winter Storm Goliath" near Tulsa just before they left.

"In case we don't come back, Craig Strickland and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma," Morland tweeted.

Strickland, who was recently married to 2014 Miss USA contestant Miss Arkansas Helen Wisner, retweeted the message.

The duo was last spotted two hours after they set out.

His band asked their fans to pray for Strickland's safe return - posting on their Facebook page, "The power of prayer is huge. #prayersforCraig"

"We can't even stand to think about it. We are devastated. Only God and time can put us back together," a family statement said.