The body of Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy has been found by Maryland police 4 days after she went missing with her 8-year-old son. The two have been missing since April 2 after they went canoeing and her canoe disappeared in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Search operations had begun soon after and despite days of search, the police were not able to find anything, however, after using help from the aviation and underwater imaging sonar technology, police were finally able to find McKean's body in 25 feet of water about 2.5 miles south of her mother’s Shady Side, Md. residence, as per media reports. Two Missing Members of Kennedy Family Now Presumed Dead.

She was at the Shady Side property before the accident, as per The Washington Post and it is being believed that 40-years-old McKean launched the canoe from the same place to allegedly retrieve a missing ball with her son Gideon. Strong winds and heavy seas prevented the pair from paddling back to shore, the police told TWP.However, no evidence about the 8-year-old Gideon McKean's body has been found and therefore the Maryland Natural Resources Police will resume search operations.

In a heart-broken Facebook post, David McKean had earlier said, "Despite heroic efforts by the Coast Guard and many state and local authorities, the decision has now been made to suspend the active rescue effort. The search that began yesterday afternoon went on throughout the night and continued all day today. It is now dark again. It has been more than 24 hours, and the chances they have survived are impossibly small. It is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away. The search for their recovery will continue, and I hope that that will be successful."

RFK was assassinated in 1968 as he campaigned for president five years after his brother's death and in the year 1999 John F Kennedy Jr and his wife and sister-in-law died when the small plane he was piloting crashed off the Massachusetts coast. Saoirse Kennedy Hill, a granddaughter of RFK, died of what was ruled an accidental drug overdose last year at age 22. David Kennedy, a son of Robert, died at age 28 of a cocaine overdose at a Florida hotel in 1984 and yet another son of RFK, Michael, died in a skiing accident in Colorado in 1997.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2020 09:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).