Body of 8-Year-Old Gideon, Robert F. Kennedy's Great-Grandson, Has Been Found
Six days after he and his mother were last seen alive, searchers on Wednesday found the body of Gideon McKean, the great-grandson of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
The 8-year-old was last seen Thursday when he and his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, ventured out in search of a ball kicked into Herring Bay, an offshoot of Chesapeake Bay.
His mother’s body was found Monday.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police said the boy’s body was found in 25 feet of water, according to USA Today.
“After a five-day search that involved aviation and underwater imaging sonar technology, authorities recovered missing person, Gideon McKean, on April 8th at approximately 1:40 pm,” the police agency said in a statement, CBS News reported.
The location where he was found was more than two miles from the Shady Side, Maryland, residence of his grandmother, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, which is where the McKean family was staying to self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic when the tragedy took place.
The boy’s body was found about 2,000 feet from where searchers found his mother’s body.
Officials have said that Thursday’s strong winds and heavy seas meant the boy and his mother could not return to shore. They have been presumed dead since Friday, when the canoe they were in was found.
On Monday, 120 members of the Kennedy family held a memorial service via Zoom for Gideon and his mother, according to CBS.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted about the service on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nv5VtnoIU/
The latest Kennedy tragedy was mourned by many others on Twitter, including public officials and members of the Kennedy family:
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.
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) April 4, 2020
Body of Gideon McKean is found after canoe accident https://t.co/IDsXMz5nqY
— KFYR-TV (@KFYRTV) April 8, 2020
The daughter and grandson of former Maryland Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Maeve and Gideon McKean, have now both been found. Please continue to keep their family in your prayers as they mourn this devastating loss.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 8, 2020
RIP Gideon McKean and Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean. Prayers go out tothe entire Kennedy family that lost two bright shining lights last week. pic.twitter.com/4nATPh7cI0
— darwin_2032 (@2032Darwin) April 8, 2020
Maeve McKean’s husband, David McKean, wrote about his son on his Facebook page.
“Gideon was 8, but he may as well have been 38,” he wrote. “He was deeply compassionate, declining to sing children’s songs if they contained a hint of animals or people being treated cruelly. He hated if I [accidentally] let a bad word slip.
“He spent hours upstairs reading, learning everything he could about sports, and trying to decipher the mysteries of the stock market. But he was also incredibly social, athletic, and courageous,” McKean said.
“And he was brave, leading his friends in games, standing up to people who he thought were wrong (including his parents), and relishing opportunities to go on adventures with friends, even those he’d just met,” McKean added. “It is impossible to sum up Gideon here. I am heartbroken to even have to try. 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.”
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