Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and her 8-year old son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean have been identified by The Washington Post as the missing kayakers off the coast of Shady Side last night.
McKean is the daughter of former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and the granddaughter of former US Senator and US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
On Thursday, April 2, 2020, rescue crews were called to the Columbia Beach community pier in the 1500 block of Robinson Road in Shady Side for a report of a missing kayaker.
A search was launched with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, the Annapolis Fire Department, the Maryland Natural Resources Police (the lead agency) and the US Coast Guard which brought in additional resources including a MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter from Atlantic City, a 45-foot Response Boat from Annapolis, a C-130 Hercules plane from St. Inigoes in Southern Maryland, and the Coast Guard Cutter Angela McShan from Cape May, NJ.
The Maryland State Police are also assisting.
The kayak and a paddle was recovered south of Shady Side just east of Rockhold Creek in Deale just after 7:00pm and the search continued for another 30 minutes until darkness precluded authorities from continuing.
The search resumed earlier this morning although someone close to the investigation said this has turned into a recovery effort.
While recreational boating has been banned by Governor Larry Hogan’s Executive Order in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, kayaking, canoeing, and stand up paddle boarding are allowed to continue as a form of exercise.
