Body of Gideon McKean, great-grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, found after 5-day search

[left-of-center2012]

Maryland police announced Wednesday that they have recovered the body of 8-year-old Gideon McKean. The announcement comes two days after police found the body of Gideon's mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and nearly a week after the pair disappeared after paddling a canoe into Chesapeake Bay.

"After a five-day search that involved aviation and underwater imaging sonar technology, authorities recovered missing person, Gideon McKean, on April 8th at approximately 1:40 pm," the Maryland Natural Resources Police said in a statement. Officials said they found his body in 25 feet of water, 2.3 miles south of his grandmother's home in Shady Side, Maryland, where the canoe was launched. He was found approximately 2,000 feet from his mother.

According to McKean's husband David, the family had been "self-quarantining in an empty house" on the Chesapeake Bay when Maeve and Gideon decided to play kickball. They got in the canoe to retrieve a lost ball. "They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay. About 30 minutes later they were spotted by an onlooker from land, who saw them far out from shore, and called the police," McKean wrote on Facebook.

Boats and helicopters from the fire department, the City of Annapolis Fire Department, and the United States Coast Guard quickly began to search the bay, Anne Arundel Fire Captain Erik Kornmeyer said. More than two hours after the pair was reported missing, a canoe and paddle were found floating several miles from where they were first seen.

Approximately 120 members of the Kennedy family came together Monday to hold a memorial service on Zoom for the pair, who were presumed dead even before their bodies were recovered.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gideon-kennedy-mckean-great-grandson-of-rfk-found-after-5-day-search-today-2020-04-08/

[elleng]

1. Statement from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

"On behalf of our family, I want to share our heartfelt gratitude to Governor Hogan, Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, and the team of more than 50 professionals from the Department of Natural Resources, Anne Arundel, Charles County, the Maryland State Police, and the United States Coast Guard, who spent these last days searching for our fierce and loving Maeve and Gideon. They have helped us bring some closure to this terrible loss, and our family will always be grateful for their tireless work."

[BusyBeingBest]

2. Would never let my kids paddle out into even a pond

without a life jacket. Let alone Chesapeake Bay. Very bad judgment--over a soccer ball.

[JenniferJuniper]

3. It really makes no sense.

I have no reason to doubt the story as reported, although it doesn't sound as though anyone at the house knew what had happened. 911 was first called when a passerby saw them struggling far out in the bay. So it could be that Maeve's husband was just putting the pieces together on his own and is guessing it was a ball they went after.

[BusyBeingBest]

4. Yeah, I was initially under the impression that there was a group of relatives

having a game and were witnesses to them leaving in the canoe--now it comes out they were alone at the house, and there were no witnesses. Just a strange and sad story.

[robbob]

6. True, nobody can say for sure,

but it would be absolutely insane to decide to go for a leisurely paddle into the Chesapeake bay without putting life jackets on.

[JenniferJuniper]

10. This is presumably a photo of the "cove"

Taken from a Zillow photo of the real estate listing before Townsend bought the house. Not what I pictured.




Full listing: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5313-Dennis-Point-Ln-Shady-Side-MD-20764/36146697_zpid/?

[Drahthaardogs]

15. In a canoe

But...we all take stupid chances. They rolled the dice and lost.

[JenniferJuniper]

16. Correction...

She rolled the dice. The little fellow was just along for the ride.

[Drahthaardogs]

17. It's sad.

The whole family just seems a little bit reckless. Their tragedies often center around lapsed judgment. I wonder if a life of privelege leads you to believe "it cannot happen to me!"

[JenniferJuniper]

19. My husband was going over the tragedies

last night. And I reminded him that

We've never been national political figures
We've not fought in a World War (so far)
We've never owned or flown in small private planes
We've never had money for fancy ski holidays with extended family
We've never owned a house on open water
There aren't a few thousand of us,
And all our tragedies have been private ones.

[npk]

5. So sad

The Kennedy family has had so much tragedy to deal with over all these years. Gees so sad.

[Cracklin Charlie]

7. I don't mean to sound insensitive...

I was a lifeguard, and bore the wrath of many angry kids and parents for following this guideline: Never, ever, go after a ball in the water. Not in a boat, or by swimming. The ball will just keep floating, or blowing away from you. And, if you do catch it, you have to get yourself back, exhausted, with the ball.

Let the water have the ball. Buy a new ball.

My deepest sympathy to the family, and their loved ones.

[Igel]

8. I'll agree with that.

But back off the insensitivity by saying that if I were canoeing in relatively safe area, I'd probably forego the life preservers. It would be a foolish thing, but it's an easily understandable foolish thing.

Plus canoes are easy to survive if you stay with them. They don't sink, it's not hard to hold onto them or even right them, and if you fall out it's not like there's a 10-ft high wall of steel to get up.

[Kaleva]

11. The tide or wind pushed them out into the open bay where the canoe capsized

They were last seen alive in the canoe far from shore.

[JenniferJuniper]

12. See the photo I posted above.

I'm not sure this was a relatively safe area, especially on an extremely windy day.

As for holding on to the canoe, I can imagine a very frightened little boy and a possibly panicking mother contributing to what happened. Horrifying all around.

[yardwork]

13. The water and wind are very cold this time of year, too.

[yardwork]

14. This is an important message. It's not insensitive.

I hadn't thought about it, but I see what you mean

[sinkingfeeling]

9. I'm grateful they located his body. May he rest in peace beside his mother.

[Ilsa]

18. Such a sad story.

Just a moment of bad judgment, and lives are taken, others are ruined.