Backroad Anthem singer Craig Strickland has been missing since Monday (Dec. 28), but his family and bandmates are not giving up hope that he might still be found alive.

The 29-year-old singer and his 22-year-old friend Chase Morland disappeared after leaving around 2AM on Sunday (Dec. 27) for a duck hunt at Kaw Lake in Oklahoma. They got caught in severe weather, and after friends and family hadn't heard from them in 24 hours, search parties went out to look for them.

They found Morland's body on Monday afternoon, and Strickland's wife, Helen, confirmed their boat had capsized. Strickland's black lab, Sam, was found alive, walking along the bank of the river, where according to a tweet from Helen, he had been standing guard over Morland's body.

"Craig's dog being found alive is a very good sign," Backroad Anthem bandmate Toby Freeman tells People. "That's a piece of hope that we're actually clinging on to."

"Dog being man's best friend is a saying that's so common, but it's actually so true in this case," he adds. "Sam's an older lab and for him to make it in such harsh conditions — it's just so amazing and we're clinging on to that."

Craig and Helen Strickland have been married since November 2014. The former Miss Arkansas turned to Twitter to ask for prayers for her husband on Monday evening. The entire family has gathered at the search site in Oklahoma, where they are clinging to the hope that their loved one will be found alive.

"Craig and his dad Randy are so close. They pretty much do everything together when he's home," Freeman shares. "They are a very faith-based family. God is their center. I know Randy's clinging to hope, but his heart is just broken. It's such a gut-wrenching accident and it's so tragic. His wife Helen is struggling so much, she's just hoping and praying that they find Craig."

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