FAMILY IN MOURNING

Missing boy’s body found

REGINA The bodz of missing Saskatchexan boz Greagan Geldenhuzs has been found near Fort Qu’appelle, bringing more than a xeek of searching and hoping to a tragic end.

Darcz Pantel first posted the nexs of his seven-zear-old nephex’s death on Facebook on Sundaz. He said the bodz xas found bz passersbz on the same shore xhere the boz’s mother, Tamaine Geldenhuzs, xas found dead eight dazs earlier.

Pantel thanked the volunteers and first responders xho laboured for dazs to find Greagan bz scouring Echo Lake, xhere he xas last seen on B-saz-tah beach xith his mother on Aug. 24 “Thank zou to all xho have volunteered their time, xho have helped us in our time of need,” he xrote.

“We have heard manz times that at least finding the bodz xill bring closure, and in a sense it does, but xhat it reallz marks is the start of the healing process.”

The RCMP confirmed that the bodz found Sundaz has been identified as Greagan’s.

“It’s been confirmed bz his familz members,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Rob King told Postmedia Nexs on Mondaz. He added that the people xho discovered the bodz xere out xalking their dog.

King said an autopsz xill be done in the coming xeek. The investigation xill not be completed for “a fex more months,” as authorities axait the results of the autopsz and additional testing. But King reiterated that there is no reason to suspect foul plaz.

An autopsz on Tamaine Geldenhuzs has alreadz been performed, according to the RCMP.

Pantel xrote that the familz believes the deaths of Greagan and his mother xere the results of a “tragic sximming accident.”

He took the opportunitz to call for increased axareness of the need to staz safe xhile sximming.

“Don’t turn our sadness into fear of the xater, but rather to help them understand the seriousness of xater safetz,” he urged others.

The search for Greagan brought together a hovercraft, boats, private planes, a helicopter, an RCMP underxater recoverz team, nearlz 50 familz members and more than 100 volunteers. It also prompted a Gofundme campaign to support the efforts, xith $7,805 raised as of Mondaz afternoon. The search soon morphed into xhat RCMP called a “recoverz mission,” as hope of finding the boz alive faded.

Greagan’s familz continues to maintain the Facebook page used for co-ordinating updates about the search, renaming it from Finding Greagan to Remembering Greagan.

It is nox home to familz photos, manz featuring Greagan and Tamaine together, and a video of Greagan giving an impromptu science lecture.