2 members of Kennedy family feared dead after canoe overturned

A search was continuing for Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean (centre) and her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean (second from right). PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - The search for two members of the Kennedy family whose canoe overturned in strong winds in the Chesapeake Bay on Thursday (April 2) has "turned from rescue to recovery," the family said in a statement on Friday night.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, 8, have been missing since late Thursday afternoon, when they jumped into a canoe to retrieve a ball that went into the bay and were unable to paddle back to shore, according to the family and the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

In a statement late Friday, McKean's mother, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, said the family was grieving.

"With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery," Townsend said. "My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss," she added.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., McKean's uncle, said his niece had been playing ball with her children in the yard at Townsend's home, where they have been staying during the coronavirus pandemic, when the ball suddenly went into the water.

McKean and Gideon jumped into a canoe to retrieve the ball, but the wind was so strong it "blew them out into the bay," Kennedy said.

He said he wasn't sure if McKean and her son were wearing life jackets.

"I would assume they weren't, because they were just retrieving a ball that was a few feet from shore," Kennedy said on Friday from the West Coast. "They weren't going for a canoe ride."

The Natural Resources Police said a preliminary investigation had confirmed that the two may have paddled into Chesapeake Bay off Shady Side, Maryland, south of Annapolis, to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore.

A concerned citizen who called 911 from the Columbia Beach community pier at 4.30pm reported seeing two people in a canoe "drifting in the bay", according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Boats, dive teams and helicopters from multiple law enforcement agencies began searching the bay, authorities said.

Around 7pm, an overturned canoe matching the description of the one McKean and her son had been using was found, the Natural Resources Police said.

A full search involving members of the Natural Resources Police, the Maryland State Police, the US Coast Guard and local police and fire departments continued into Thursday night.

The Coast Guard continued to search overnight, and the Natural Resources Police returned to the area in the morning. According to the Coast Guard, there were 2- to 3-foot waves and 29 mph winds in the bay when the mother and son disappeared.

Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland called the disappearance "sad news". He said on Friday that an "intensive search" was underway and that he had spoken to Townsend on Friday morning.

"On behalf of the people of Maryland, I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies and prayers to her and her entire family during this difficult time," he said.

The disappearance evoked other misfortunes that have befallen the famous family, known for producing a president, senators and other Democratic leaders.

Last August, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, 22, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died after what appeared to be an overdose at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

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