Peeling back the layers of a tragedy
Closure. In conversations and interviews with area residents, public safety officials and family members, it was a word that came up more and more frequently as a desperate search for two fishermen missing off North Cape, Prince Edward Island stretched into days.
The search for Captain Glen Des-Roches and his longtime helper, Maurice (Moe) Getson, was launched early evening on Sept. 18, 2018, as soon as the surviving crewmember, Tanner Gaudet, heroically and miraculously fought his way to shore through the pounding waves and reported the sinking of the Kyla Anne on the perilous North Cape reef.
I recall arriving at the cape that Tuesday night. There were headlights, brake lights and emergency lights all around the point, and the beam from the lighthouse was piercing through the mist. It was the start of the most challenging week of my career. There were so many layers to this story to be told, and much of it gathered along the North Cape coastline, that cool dark night. There was raw emotion here but also dogged determination. Area residents wanted to find closure for the families of the missing men. They attended prayer vigils and they never stopped searching.
The following Sunday morning the body of Glen Des-Roches was located at North Cape. The body of Moe Getson was located on Day 7, on a deserted beach nearly 40 kilometers away. Finally closure came.