KKT Daughter, Grandson Presumed Drowned in Canoe Accident

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's daughter, grandson presumed dead after canoeing accident

The grandson and adult daughter of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend are presumed dead after the pair's canoe apparently capsized in the Chesapeake Bay, Townsend said Friday.

In a statement issued Friday night, Townsend said the search for her daughter, 40-year-old Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and 8-year-old grandson, Gideon, was now a recovery effort.

“With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery," Townsend said in the statement.
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The pair went missing late Thursday afternoon in waters near the pair's Shady Side, Maryland home, about 25 miles south of Annapolis, officials said.
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A Maryland Department of Natural Resources statement said a preliminary investigation "revealed that the pair may have been paddling the canoe from a residence in Shady Side, MD out into the bay to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore."

An overturned canoe, approximately matching the description the pair were in, was later found, the department said.

Kennedy Townsend comes from one of the most famous political clans in U.S. history. She’s the oldest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and niece of former President John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy.

It's been windy and rough the last two days. There's no excuse for going out on the Bay in a canoe in these conditions. And the water is cold; too cold for any hope of survival for any length of time eve with a life jacket.