At 10:30 Friday morning, Lac du Bonnet RCMP responded to a call of a missing boater.
After investigation, it was determined that a 49-year-old male was harvesting wild rice in an airboat on the Whiteshell River, approximately 5 km north of Jessica lake, when he failed to return to his camp.
Another harvester in a second boat, set out to find the missing male when he found the submerged airboat in about 15 feet of water. He searched the immediate area but could not find the 49-year-old male. He immediately called the RCMP for assistance.
Upon arrival, Lac du Bonnet RCMP and Sustainable Development along with private boats searched the surrounding area but could not locate the missing male.
On Saturday morning, Police returned to the location with boats and drones to search the water and shoreline. The Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) also arrived to help find the missing boater.
At around 10:30 am HEART located the deceased male in the water with an underwater camera. His body has since been recovered by RCMP.
The investigation is ongoing
