The body of a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome was found Monday afternoon in the Ottawa River.
Divers pulled the body from the water around 3:30 p.m. in the Laurentian town of St-André-d’Argenteuil, after a massive search was launched when the boy went missing around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, a spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec said.
SQ officials searched by air, land and water when the boy’s mother contacted emergency services after realizing the family’s boat was missing. The boat was later discovered near l’Île de Carillon, with life jackets and his personal items still on board.
The Sûreté du Québec said it did not know the boy’s activities before his body was discovered, though a spokesman said they believe drowning to be the cause of death. Officials will confirm when an autopsy is completed. The family requested that they boy’s name not be released.
lrichardson@montrealgazette.com
