Photo: Getty
They were missing since Sunday.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Apr 08, 2020
On Thursday, April 2, 2020, Maeve McKean and her son, Gideon, went canoeing. They were never seen again.
The initial reports of McKean's disappearance were nothing if not frightening. "Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Maryland National Capitol Region command center received a report from Maryland State Police members that two individuals were seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe near Herring Bay and not seen again by the reporting individual," read a report given by the Coast Guard.
Shortly after it was announced that McKean and her son had disappeared, it was confirmed that the two of them had died by drowning after what appeared to be a horrific canoe accident.
What happened to Maeve McKean and her son?
Let's look at what we know about this tragic situation.
She is a member of the Kennedy family.
McKean — who's Instagram has been set private — is a member of the prestigious political family, the Kennedys. Her grandfather was the late Robert F. Kennedy, her great-uncle was President John F. Kennedy, and she is the daughter of former Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
Her son is also missing.
Tragically, McKean is not the only one missing from the boating accident. Her son, Gideon, also went missing.
Governor Hogan said that they went missing in the Chesapeake Bay.
"A former Maryland lieutenant governor's daughter, Maeve, and her 8-year-old grandson, Gideon, went missing after canoeing yesterday afternoon," Hogan said at a press conference. "An intensive search has been underway since late yesterday."
David McKean, Maeve McKean's husband, confirmed that both his wife and son were missing.
When the canoe was initially discovered in the Chesapeake Bay, McKean's husband, David McKean, confirm the identity of both his wife and his son. He also disclosed that he was the owner of the boat. However, he wouldn't say anything else with regards to his wife and son's disappearance, and instead issued a statement through the family attorney.
“At this time, our family asks for privacy and that everyone keeps Maeve and Gideon in their prayers,” the statement read.
They have been missing since Sunday, and all resources have been devoted to looking for them.
As of this writing, the search for McKean and her son has been conducted all across various agencies. Amongst the agencies on the case include Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard
The bodies of McKean and her son were just recovered on April 3, 2020.
Yet another Kennedy tragedy has been confirmed today: after being in quarantine at their family's Maryland estate, McKean and her son Gideon drowned after a boating accident.
"[They] popped into a canoe to chase it down. They just got farther out than they could handle, and couldn’t get back in,” David McKean said.
Maeve McKean's cause of death has been revealed.
On Wednesday, April 8, 2020, a spokesman for the state’s chief medical examiner confirmed that McKean died of accidental drowning in the Chesapeake Bay. "According to the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland, the cause of death of Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean is drowning, and the manner is an accident.” Her 8-year-old son, Gideon, is presumed to have died the same way, though no official comment from the state's chief medical examiner's office has been released. McKean's body was found about 3 miles from her her mother’s waterfront property in Shady Side, Maryland, after drowning in about 25 feet of water.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.