The granddaughter of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and her son are presumed dead after a search of Chesapeake Bay failed to find them.
A Coast Guard search for Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and Gideon McKean, 8, that began on Thursday “has turned from rescue to recovery,” according to a Friday statement, Fox News reported.
McKean and her son were last seen in a canoe struggling to return to shore.
The family had been gathering Thursday at a home owned by Maeve McKean’s mother, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who’s the daughter of Robert Kenndy and a former lieutenant governor of Maryland.
Maeve’s husband, David McKean, offered an explanation for the tragedy on his Facebook page.
“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,” he said. “Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball by the small, shallow cove behind the house, and one of them kicked the ball into the water. The cove is protected, with much calmer wind and water than in the greater Chesapeake.
Trump admin announces expansion of visa restriction policy in Western Hemisphere
Singer D4vd arrested and held without bail in case tied to teen found dead in Tesla: Police
EXCLUSIVE: NYC officials refuse ICE hold for illegal alien accused in arson that killed 4 and injured 7: DHS
Jerome Powell Now Considering Move to Spite Trump: Report
Franklin Graham defends Trump in letter shared on Truth Social after AI ‘Jesus’ image backlash
Iranian Economy on the Brink: US Blockade Leaves Country with Weeks of Oil Production Left
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons submits resignation letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race; GOP fails to expand fragile majority
Democrats turn on Spanberger over plummeting popularity amid redistricting battle
Coffee Shop Chain That Originated in San Francisco Defends Plan to Remove ‘Pride’ Flags from Stores’ Decor
Owner of Antique Store That Trans Mob Attacked and Shut Down Over ‘Intolerance’ Has Been Murdered, Leaving Behind Wife, Daughter, and Unborn Child
If You’ve Ever Thought Life Is Too Painful to Be Worth Living, This Piece Might Just Change Everything
Shouting match erupts between RFK Jr and Dem lawmaker over his comments about Black children
Hillary Clinton rips Trump on migrant child detentions, but Bill Clinton’s own record cuts deep
10 House Republicans Side with Democrats in Bid to Block Trump from Deporting Haitian Immigrants
“They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay,” he wrote.
“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. The Coast Guard recovered their canoe, which was capsized and miles away, at approximately 6:30 yesterday evening,” David McKean added.
“This was a difficult case, and even more difficult to make the decision to suspend the search,” Coast Guard Cmdr. Matthew Fine said, according to CNN.
Trump admin announces expansion of visa restriction policy in Western Hemisphere
Singer D4vd arrested and held without bail in case tied to teen found dead in Tesla: Police
EXCLUSIVE: NYC officials refuse ICE hold for illegal alien accused in arson that killed 4 and injured 7: DHS
Jerome Powell Now Considering Move to Spite Trump: Report
Franklin Graham defends Trump in letter shared on Truth Social after AI ‘Jesus’ image backlash
Iranian Economy on the Brink: US Blockade Leaves Country with Weeks of Oil Production Left
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons submits resignation letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race; GOP fails to expand fragile majority
Democrats turn on Spanberger over plummeting popularity amid redistricting battle
Coffee Shop Chain That Originated in San Francisco Defends Plan to Remove ‘Pride’ Flags from Stores’ Decor
Owner of Antique Store That Trans Mob Attacked and Shut Down Over ‘Intolerance’ Has Been Murdered, Leaving Behind Wife, Daughter, and Unborn Child
If You’ve Ever Thought Life Is Too Painful to Be Worth Living, This Piece Might Just Change Everything
Shouting match erupts between RFK Jr and Dem lawmaker over his comments about Black children
Hillary Clinton rips Trump on migrant child detentions, but Bill Clinton’s own record cuts deep
10 House Republicans Side with Democrats in Bid to Block Trump from Deporting Haitian Immigrants
“Our crews and partners did everything they could to find them. We’ve kept the family informed at every step during the search, and our thoughts are with them tonight.”
The Coast Guard said the wind in Herring Bay, an offshoot of the larger bay, was at 26 knots, or roughly 30 mph, when Maeve McKean and her son entered the water.
Waves were between two and three feet high at the time.
The Coast Guard began its search Thursday and by Friday afternoon had covered 2,275 square miles, according to The Washington Post.
Townsend announced the loss of McKean and her son “with profound sadness.”
“Our Maeve devoted her life to helping society’s most vulnerable,” she said in a statement. “She was a Peace Corps volunteer who pursued a career in law to give voice to the voiceless.”
“My heart is 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,” she also said.
McKean served as the executive director of Georgetown University’s Global Health Initiative. She was an adjunct professor at the university, teaching bioethics and human rights.
Summing up his son on Facebook, David McKean wrote, “I used to marvel at him as a toddler and worry that he was too perfect to exist in this world. It seems to me now that he was.”
In writing about his wife, he said she “was my everything. She was my best friend and my soulmate.”
“She was the brightest light I have ever known,” he wrote.
Story cited here.
