Search for Robert F Kennedy's granddaughter and her son turns into recovery mission
The pair went missing after the kayak they were in was hit by strong winds.
Saturday 4 April 2020 15:25, UK
The search for the daughter and a grandson of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert F Kennedy, is being treated as a recovery mission.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her eight-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, are believed to have died after a canoe they were using in Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis in Maryland did not return to shore.
In a statement Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said: "With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery."
Ms Kennedy Townsend, who served two terms as Maryland's lieutenant governor, is the eldest daughter of Robert F Kennedy, former attorney general of the US, who was assassinated in 1968.
Maryland governor Larry Hogan said: "I reached out to and spoke with Lt. Gov. Townsend this morning and on behalf of the people of Maryland I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies and prayers to her and to her entire family during this difficult time."
Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy III, McKean's cousin, tweeted on Saturday morning: "We love you Maeve. We love you Gideon. Our family has lost two of the brightest lights. Grateful for the prayers. Hold your loved ones tight."
The search for the mother and son began on Thursday after the state Natural Resources Police responded to a report of two people in a canoe in Chesapeake Bay who appeared to be in trouble after being hit by strong winds.
A statement from the agency said they may have been paddling the canoe from a home in Shady Side, Maryland, to retrieve a ball and could not paddle back to shore.
An overturned canoe matching the one used by the missing people was found on Thursday night, it added.