Kennedy family members feared dead after tragic canoe accident had gone to Chesapeake Bay for quarantine
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND: The daughter and grandson of former Maryland Lt Gov Kathleen Kennedy Townsend disappeared after they traveled from their Washington, DC, home to Chesapeake Bay to self-quarantine themselves during the current coronavirus pandemic.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her 8-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, were reported missing after they "popped into a canoe" to chase down a ball that had fallen into the bay on Thursday, April 2.
Around 7 pm the same day, the Natural Resources Police said they found a canoe matching the description of the one believed to be used by the pair, shortly after which Kennedy Townsend confirmed the search had turned from "rescue to recovery."
After the news broke that the pair was likely dead, Maeve's human rights lawyer husband David McKean took to Facebook to pay tribute and describe what he knew of their disappearance in a lengthy statement.
"I know that people have many questions about what happened as we grapple with this tragedy. Here is what I have come to understand," he shared. "We were self-quarantining in an empty house owned by Maeve’s mother Kathleen on the Chesapeake Bay, hoping to give our kids more space than we have at home in DC to run around."
"Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball by the small, shallow cove behind the house, and one of them kicked the ball into the water," he continued. "The cove is protected, with much calmer wind and water than in the greater Chesapeake. 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. After that last sighting, they were not seen again."
He also paid tribute to them both, describing Gideon as a "deeply compassionate" boy who it was "impossible to sum up" in a Facebook post and his wife as his "best friend," "soulmate" and "my everything."
McKean conceded that, since they had been missing for more than 24 hours, "the chances they have survived are impossibly small" and that "it is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away" before adding that "the search for their recovery will continue, and I hope that that will be successful."
It was a sentiment seemingly shared by Kennedy Townsend, who said in a statement, "Our hearts are crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy, and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world."
The search for Townsend McKean and Gideon continued on Sunday after Saturday saw vessels conduct sonar operations around the area where they were last seen and where their canoe was recovered, according to the Guardian.
Townsend McKean was the granddaughter of the late US Attorney General and Sen Robert F Kennedy and grand-niece of the late President John F Kennedy.