'Rest In Peace Maeve and Gideon': RFK Jr. pays tribute to his niece and her eight-year-old son who went missing while kayaking in Chesapeake Bay - as search 'turns from rescue to recovery'
- Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean were last seen paddling in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay on Thursday
- McKean's mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is the eldest daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy
- Townsend said in a statement on Friday: 'The search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery'
- The search was called off on Friday night, but will resume Saturday morning
- The pair had paddled out in a canoe in search of a ball but got caught up in strong winds
- An overturned canoe matching the one used by the mother and son was found later on Thursday night
Rescue operations have been called off in the search for Robert F. Kennedy's granddaughter and her eight-year-old son, with the pair feared dead after they took a canoe out on a Maryland bay to retrieve a lost ball on Thursday.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, failed to return to shore after paddling in the Chesapeake Bay on Thursday.
The Coast Guard ended rescue operations on Friday night, but a search will continue in the hope of recovering their bodies. An overturned canoe matching the one used by the mother and son was found on Thursday night.
McKean's mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is the eldest daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and niece of the late President John F. Kennedy.
Kathleen's brother, Robert F Kennedy Jr, posted on Instagram: 'Tonight, the Coast Guard informed our family that It has terminated rescue operations. The search for remains continues. Rest In Peace Maeve and Gideon.'
David McKean confirmed on Thursday that his wife, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean (center right) were missing
Kathleen's brother, Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced on Instagram that the rescue operation had been called off
Kathleen herself said in a statement Friday night: 'With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery'.
Coast Guard sector commander Matthew Fine told CNN: 'This was a difficult case, and even more difficult to make the decision to suspend the search.
'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 search had started on Thursday afternoon after authorities responded to a report of two people on a canoe in the Chesapeake Bay who appeared to be overtaken by strong winds.
Authorities said the pair, who they didn't name, were paddling the canoe from their home in Shady Side to retrieve a ball but couldn't paddle back to shore.
Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan addressed the pair's disappearance during a coronavirus briefing on Friday, during which he offered sympathies to the family.
'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,' Gov Hogan said.
McKean's mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is the eldest daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and niece of the late President John F. Kennedy. Kathleen (right) and her daughters Maeve (center) and Katie (left) are pictured above in 1995
Maeve, who is the executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative, had tweeted a photo of her son Gideon just last week as she home-schooled him during the coronavirus pandemic
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said Friday: 'News of this tragedy hit me and my family hard this morning.'
'We are holding Kathleen and her family in the light and holding our own loved ones a little closer as we reflect on their pain and their loss,' he said.
Maeve's husband, David McKean, told the Washington Post that the family had been at his mother-in-law's home when the ball they were playing with flew out into the water.
He said his wife and son 'popped into a canoe to chase it down' but said 'they just got farther out than they could handle and couldn't get back in'.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and her family were at her mother's house in Shady Side, Maryland (above) when she and her eight-year-old son set off in a canoe but failed to return to shore
The Maryland State Police, US Coast Guard, and local police and fire departments all joined the search the the mother and son. The search was called off overnight but resumed Friday morning
The Maryland State Police, US Coast Guard, and local police and fire departments all joined the search for the mother and son.
The disappearance comes less than a year after Saoirse Kennedy Hill (above), another of Robert F Kennedy's granddaughters, died from an overdose at the age of 22. Saoirse, who was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, is Maeve's cousin
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's coronavirus-related shutdown has prohibited most forms of recreational boarding but kayaking and paddleboarding are still allowed.
There are currently more than 2,700 infections recorded in the state with the death toll now at 42.
Maeve had tweeted a photo of her son Gideon just last week as she home-schooled him during the coronavirus pandemic.
The photo showed the eight-year-old smiling as he watched an interview between Stephen Curry and Dr Anthony Fauci - the nation's top coronavirus expert.
'@StephenCurry30 and Dr. Fauci's very informative interview was part of my 8-year old son's homeschooling today! #ParentingInAPandemic,' she tweeted alongside the photo.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean's is pictured above with her family, including her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean (bottom right)
Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan addressed the pair's disappearance during a coronavirus briefing on Friday, during which he offered sympathies to the family and said an intensive search had been underway
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's coronavirus-related shutdown has prohibited most forms of recreational boarding but kayaking and paddleboarding are still allowed. There are currently more than 2,700 infections recorded in the state with the death toll now at 42
Maeve, a public health and human rights lawyer, has served as executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative.
The initiative's website says her work focuses on "the intersection of global health and human rights'.
She previously served as an associate research professor at the City University of New York School of Public Health.
The disappearance of the mother and son is the latest tragedy to involve the Kennedy family.
It comes less than a year after Saoirse Kennedy Hill, another of Robert F Kennedy's granddaughters, died from an overdose at the age of 22.
Among the prescription drugs found in her system were diazepam and nordiazepam (first marketed as Valium), fluoxetine (Prozac) and norfluoxetine (the anti-depressant Luoxetine).
Her death came just one month before she was set to start her senior year at Boston College.
Saoirse, who was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, is Maeve's cousin.
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Chesapeake Bay is the Atlantic Ocean, not a sheltered cove where you might launch a canoe. Feel sorry for the little boy. Hope his drowning death was quick and peaceful. Stupid decision on her part for a cheap ball. Maybe impaired? Again, for those who aren't familiar, Chesapeake Bay is the Atlantic Ocean.
You are playing with a ball, it gets in the water on a windy day, instead of leaving it, you and your son pull out a kayak, get in to retrieve the ball?!!
Life jackets would have made all the difference..... All this over retrieving a ball, how awful, RIP
I'm on the outside looking in, so my statement may be irrelevant. When my kids lose balls that are still in eyesight but out of reach, we let them go and buy new ones.
The Kennedys dont have a curse. They genetically are missing a chip that most of us have that combine judgement and risk taking. Most of the tragedies are due to careless decision making. What mother hops in a kayac with an 8 year old without life jackets into a bay on a day with strong winds to recover a ball?
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AquilineN, Attica, United States, about a minute ago
Two more Kennedys, who persist in living life on the edge, have fallen off.