Kennedy family: Search resumes for RFK’s granddaughter, great-grandson after canoeing incident

The search for the granddaughter and great-grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, who were canoeing in Maryland, will resume Monday morning, state officials said Sunday.

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Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, 8, disappeared Thursday afternoon while in a canoe on Cheasapeake Bay, The Washington Post reported.

Update 10:25 p.m. EDT April 5: The search for Maeve Kennedy McKean and her son, 8-year-old Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean will resume Monday morning after an overnight pause, Maryland Natural Resources Police said.

Searchers found no signs of Maeve and Gideon or their canoe Saturday and Sunday.

>> Kennedy family: Canoeing incident latest tragedy for star-crossed dynasty

Update 10:25 a.m. EDT April 4: Maeve Kennedy McKean and her son, 8-year-old Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean -- was suspended 26 hours after they were reported missing in Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland, according to the Coast Guard.

“This was a difficult case, and even more difficult to make the decision to suspend the search,” Cmdr. Matthew Fine, deputy sector commander and active search suspension authority at Sector Maryland-National Capitol Region command center, told CNN. “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.”

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, McKean’s mother, said earlier Friday that the search had turned from a rescue to a recovery mission.

“With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery,” Townsend said in a statement. “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. My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss.”

McKean’s husband, David McKean, wrote in a Facebook post Friday that “it is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away," CNN reported. “The search for their recovery will continue, and I hope that that will be successful.”

Original report: The search for the granddaughter and great-grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, who were canoeing in Maryland, has now turned to a recovery mission, the family announced late Friday night.

David McKean told The Washington Post the family had gathered at a house owned by his wife’s mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who is the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

Children were playing with a ball and accidentally kicked it into the water. Maeve and Gideon got into a canoe and went after the ball.

“They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn’t get back in,” David McKean told the Post.

The U.S. Coast Guard said wind gusts were up to 30 mph and there were nearly 3-foot waves on the water, the Post reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group