Body of 6-year-old girl found in Howe Sound, father still missing

The body of a six-year-old girl has been recovered in the waters near Gambier Island in Howe Sound after an empty boat was spotted in the area on Saturday night. The boat’s other passenger, her father, is still missing.

The Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre was called to the scene after the six-metre aluminum boat was found, empty but with keys still in the ignition, in Howe Sound around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Crews then surveyed the area where the found the girl’s body roughly two hours later in Brigade Bay. Her father, a 60-year-old dentist from North Vancouver, could not be located. After searching for hours on Sunday, the Canadian Coast Guard has suspended their search for the man and handed the case off to the Sunshine Coast RCMP.

The child’s cause of death is not yet known, however foul play is not indicated. Coroners will work to determine the cause of death as soon as possible.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy, and our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of this girl and her father,” said RCMP Constable Harrison Mohr.

Police are asking anyone who saw a six-foot, beige, hard-top boat in the waters between Lions Bay and Gambier Island on Saturday to call the RCMP at 604-885-2266.