Robert F Kennedy's granddaughter and her 8-year-old son missing after canoe mishap in Chesapeake Bay
Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s daughter and grandson -- 41-year-old Maeve McKean and eight-year-old Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean -- have reportedly been missing since Thursday, April 2. Authorities said a family member confirmed that they were last seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe in the Chesapeake Bay.
David McKean, Maeve’s husband, said that the family had been at a home belonging to his wife's mother -- the former Lieutenant Governor -- when a ball being played with flew out into the water. The mother-son duo reportedly “popped into a canoe to chase it down. They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn't get back in.” Per David, they were last sighted 10 miles south of Annapolis near Herring Bay.
Per the Baltimore Sun, Anne Arundel County fire officials said that a concerned citizen called 911 around 4:30 pm on Thursday to report that he saw them in a small canoe or kayak from the Columbia Beach community pier. Marine units from local law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard have reportedly been conducting a search of the Chesapeake Bay by boat and helicopter.
Per the Baltimore Sun, the Natural Resources Police said that an overturned canoe matching the description of the one believed to be used by the pair was found around 7 pm. Anne Arundel fire officials said the vessel was found east of Rockhold Creek in Deale.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean is the executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative. She is the granddaughter of Senator Robert F. Kennedy McKean and the grand-niece of former president John F. Kennedy.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police is reportedly leading the investigation. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department dive team and marine division are currently assisting the Maryland Natural Resources Police with the search for the missing persons.