Kennedy's missing on the Chesapeake Bay

This is terrible. I know Maeve--very nice person and from all accounts a very competent public health person.

She may not be a “trust fund kid” ..but being executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative at age 40 is kind of a giveaway

Still haven’t found PeterBeard in Montauk, either

Georgetown doesn't have a large med school and doesn't have a public health program. It sounds more impressive than it is.

This is a tragedy but I don't understand a mother who lets her 8-year-old accompany her in a canoe in choppy waters. If I was a parent, I would have left him on the shore. Better still, leave the fucking ball and get another one. A very bad judgment call.

They both drowned.

[quote]Kennedy's missing

Kennedy's what?

I'm guessing she thought that the ball was close. Yesterday and today has been really weird weather in this area. All is calm and then out of nowhere, there's a strong gust of wind.

The Kennedy Curse takes 2 more.

Yeah I’m on eastern LI. It started yesterday afternoon here. All of a sudden it gets crazy windy/rainy, then it stops & is quiet for 1/2 an hour & gets totally crazy again. It’s a stop-and-start storm for over 24 hours now.

She had an incredible background. She did make a difference. How sad.

She sounds like a good person who made an error in judgment. RIP.

horror

How many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren has Ethel Kennedy outlived?

She sounds like a wonderful woman. That is very sad.

I love how she thought she was a common person because she didn't have a massive trust fund (unlike others she may have known). They were still wealthy and well known.

I'm calling massive bullshit on this.

All of the Kennedy children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have trust funds.

Maeve also would have shared in the Skakel family fortune.

The month of April always brings more than her share of misery to the United States. I fear this year's visit will be particularly painful.

Condolences to the Kennedy Family.

[quote] This is a tragedy but I don't understand a mother who lets her 8-year-old accompany her in a canoe in choppy waters.

I'm thinking more about the timing. I wouldn't want to be needing public resources (rescue workers, ambulance, EMTs, etc.) for non-Corona mishaps right now.

R17 - I believe the Skakel money was used by defending Michael and maybe also bad management. But my understanding was that when Rushton died there was nothing left incredible as it seems.

[quote]David McKean confirmed his wife and son disappeared on Thursday afternoon while in a canoe on the Chesapeake Bay.

It's terrible, I know, but whenever anyone related to the Kennedy family is involved, I always assume that it wasn't an accident.

They seem to attract (or become) the type of people who think they are above the law.

Kennedys are missing.

R6= Captain Obvious.

Sad story

[quote]Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean

I'm sorry she's dead but honestly this absolute insistence on making sure that EVERYONE knows you're a KENNEDY is ridiculous.

IMO, women should just keep their "maiden" names if they decide to get married. Until hetero men start adding their wives' names to their last names, that makes sense.

I’m sorry to have to point this out but, what the fuck?

They were Kennedys. (Or Kennedy’s if you prefer.) Couldn’t they just have bought a new ball?

R26, this is about middle names, though. Not last names.

(Central and South America respectfully uses last names to recognize both the mother and father.)

R28 , I guess my point was that Maeve should have just kept Kennedy as her last name and not adopted her husband's last name at all.

But Kennedy was never her last name. Her last name was Townsend. (Her mom was Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.) Kennedy was her middle name. She kind of did the hyphenated last name thing with her hubby's last name, but without the hyphen.) When most people would just use their middle initial in formal situations, she (and many of her cousins and siblings) use their full middle name.

Of course she uses Kennedy... why give up that free privilege.

It’s kind of a WASP thing to do — keep the prestigious family name as a middle name. And the Kennedys have always been WASP wannabes.

R30, OK, got it (finally). I guess, IMO, Maeve's mom should have kept her maiden name: Kennedy. Not sure she and Mr. Townsend should have named their children, which would include Maeve.

Does she even refer to herself that way, or did they just write it that way in the article?

[quote]Kennedy's what?

Better Oh Dear yourself. The correct question to ask was "Which Kennedy?"

Looks like she had three other children.

I would be proud to be RFK's grandaughter. Especially since she was so accomplished. Ethel and her Skakel family were not a good DNA match with Kennedy DNA - in some cases. But he would have been proud of Maeve.

Baby Shark knows the truth

Tragic. I've been around rich preppy people with boats. They sometimes get a little too carefree, hopping around deck without life vests. I've always insisted on wearing one, and usually I'd be the only one.

A grand-niece of President John F. Kennedy and her son drowned off the Maryland coast — with their bodies discovered Friday, about 24 hours after they went missing, authorities said.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, was at her mother’s home in Shady Side overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at 4 p.m. Thursday when she and her 8-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, hopped into a canoe, according to the Washington Post.

The child had been kicking a ball with other kids when it fell into the water, and the pair went to retrieve it amid high winds, her husband, David McKean, told the paper.

“[They] popped into a canoe to chase it down. They just got farther out than they could handle, and couldn’t get back in,” David McKean said.

R27 - I said the exact same thing!

r14, This right here. LOL. This right here. EPIC.

People make mistakes.

I know it was really windy out there yesterday. The local weather says that the waves were probably 2 to 3 feet high. A wave probably capsized the canoe. Then, after they fell out, perhaps the canoe drifted away from them. And they wouldn't be wearing life jackets because they only planned to go a few feet into the water. What a nightmare.

Any word on the soccer ball?

No one wants to drive to Walmart during a lockdown to buy a new soccer ball.

Well of course she’s a Kennedy

It's not a curse! It was being a dumb ASS! Why risk your life, and your child's life, to retrieve a stupid ball? I feel sorry for the poor boy. When a child says "Mommy we need to go get that ball", it's up to the parent to say "No it isn't safe". And weren't there like a hundred other Kennedy's to go after them when they saw that they were in danger? They always have large family around.

r44. The soccer ball is safe. Tom Hanks named it Wilson and it is helping him through his Coronavirus quarantine.

This is tragic, but she was stupid to jump in a canoe and go chasing after a soccer ball. Were the currents that intense that it just sucked the soccer ball out into the bay? If that was the case, let it go and go buy another $10 ball at Walmart.

[quote]she and her 8-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean

There it is again. God forbid anyone should just call him Gideon McKean. He's a KENNEDY who must be worshipped.

This frees up two shares of the family trust.

If ever there was a family that needed to be content with indoor activities, it's the Kennedy clan. So much tragedy.

A Mother's sacrifice can be a beautiful thing.

Just think how bad the kid who kicked the ball into the ocean must feel.

So sad, so avoidable. Don’t fuck with water.

Oh my god R54 you’re so right. Yeesh

So tragic. I feel sad for the young boy who will never have the chance to live a fuller life . But at least he died with his beloved mom ? I actually believe the clan could be cursed - but what or who caused it?

R55, Now you tell me.

Are we sure Coronavirus was not involved?

[quote]Kennedy's what?

Kennedy's ball.

They couldn't find another ball to play with?

I was once on a boat with a group of people. Some guy's baseball cap flew off his head and landed in the water. Extraordinary measures were taken to retrieve this stupid cap out of the water. IIRC, the owner of the cap didn't even care. It became a game, really. Maybe that's what happened.

My [italic]what[/italic] is missing on the Chesapeake Bay???

*coughscottpetersoncough*

R63 If only we could cast that bitch out to sea on a leaky rowboat!

The arrogant Kennedy disregard of risk claims two more lives.

Kenny Chesney is missing?

I'll burn in hell for this, but I am tired of the Kennedy dynasty thing. It's over. The name means nothing anymore after Old Joe's hypocrisy about being a faithful husband, lobotomizing daughter Rosemary just because she inherited the same sexual energy as her brothers, Ted's allowing Mary Jo Kopechne to drown. I often wonder if Robert was spared a closer look at his past if he hadn't been assassinated. Now he's a saint. Well, at least one of that tainted family made it.

Maybe the ball had sentimental value. Maybe it was a gift, or maybe it had been signed by a famous professional soccer player.

R68 probably worships the Trump family

The story sounds fishy to me.

Jumping into a speedboat I could see, but a canoe....a canoe? Canoes belong on ponds.

The canoe was probably handy, the family was probably outdoorsy, they probably didn’t stand and assess the pros and cons of retrieving the ball and wondering if their lives would be in danger and they’d drown. They were playing and having a good time, ball plops in water, they go to get it to resume play. Everyday stuff. They could’ve done the same thing the next day and lived.

R70 Nope. I dislike the Trump family as much as I dislike the Kennedy family. They all tried / are trying to create dynasties. Fuck 'em all.

No one care about the Kennedy cunts.

I blame Cheryl Hines

[quote] Maybe the ball had sentimental value. Maybe it was a gift, or maybe it had been signed by a famous professional soccer player.

Then why would children be playing with it?

They’re probably used to playing outside & canoeing at grandmas house in June, when school is out. Since school is out, they just didn’t think “Oh wait, it’s fucking April! Let’s not get in the canoe!”

I heard later today it wasn't a canoe but actually a kayak. Below is all about the "curse". I think if there is any curse it is rooted in stupidity and unnecessary risk taking.....

We’re not even rich and we have more than one ball for the kids to play with.

Shame to hear about these people going missing. Tragic that a child is probably dead for the sake of a $10 ball.

R78, Did you not see that Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean was 40 years old?

Those Kennedys. You can't fix stupid. Driving off a bridge, crashing an aircraft, flipping a jeep and paralyzing someone for life, canoeing after a fucking BALL with bad weather with a child,----well, the list goes on and on.

R82, Skiing into a tree while playing football.

Plenty of people who aren't stupid have died in plane crashes and in accidents

I bet it’s just ingrained family pressure. The default always is just go for it, aggressively, whatever the situation. If you show any hesitation or caution, you get mercilessly razzed. I wonder if there’s a weird respect among them for those who die pursuing some noble reckless cause.

...like you join the pantheon, or something.

How can the Kennedy family continue to vacation at that house?

Mother and son . . .

[quote] She may not be a “trust fund kid” ..but being executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative at age 40 is kind of a giveaway

It's basically like being a Juilliard-trained dermatologist.

Lots of good envy on this thread. Well she's dead now so why not envy that.

The husband giving oddly breezy seeming quotes to the WP before the bodies were even found but the fact that a MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, from a public pier, was the one who called authorities, not the husband nor her mother, etc. Did they not notice them not return, or even, I dunno, watch them? I get the comrment above about the go for it always mentality of the family but WHY did the family not, I dunno, help them? Call authorities? Be too grief wracked to chat with journalists before the body of your wife or young child are even found? Something strange seeming about all of that. There are 3 other, even younger kids, I believe. RIP.

It was windy yesterday, with choppy waves. No one should have been out in a kayak, never mind with a 3rd grader in tow. NEVER chase a ball, not into the water nor into the street. It can be the last stupid thing you ever do.

R90, what a dumb comment. And since when is envy "good"?

So sad

I still remember the last thing she said....

*SPLASH*

Just look at the number of people they've taken out through irresponsible action. You'll find no mention of punishment or recompense, as it remains conspicuously absent.

Mary Jo Kopechne (left to drown) Pamela Burkley (paralyzed) Carolyn Bessette (nosedive into the ocean) Lauren Bessette (see above) Mary Richardson Kennedy (driven to suicide)

I will add Mary Pinchot Meyer; murdered, presumably for what she knew.

I'm no Kennedy hater nor lover, but geez have they pulled some real capers over the years.

R94, maybe Marilyn Monroe, too, as she was threatening to spill the beans about her affairs with both JFK and RFK.

R94 is an idiot conspiracy theorist. If you're not a Kennedy hater, why are you blaming them for shit they didn't do? They didn't kill Mary Pinchot Meyer.

R95, no, she wasn't. Why would she? She was a pill popper who ODed

bump

Kennedy’s what? Hair? Boat? Fiddlehead fern??? Kennedy’s What??

R97, I said *maybe*---as those rumors have been around for decades, been written about, etc. What makes YOU so sure the Kennedys weren't involved?

And why would she spill the beans? She was heartbroken she got dumped by both brothers. A woman scorned, etc.

btw, sometimes murders can be hidden all the more easily if the victim has emotional and addictive problems. And if the media back then got a whiff of this, even JFK would have had to resign or be forced to. In those days people would have been horrified ----rather than sanguine as they (mostly) were with the Clinton/Lewinsky crap.

The Kennedys wanted her to shut the fuck up ---and the only way to guarantee that is to kill her.

Kennedy's are missing what?

I first interpreted "Kennedy's missing" to mean that this lady had disappeared.

(Which I guess is true, although the Chesapeake Bay was a new detail.)

Please let's not forget Rosemary in all of this Kennedy family lore and self-inflicted tragedy. Old man Joe had her lobotomized because she had her brother's (Jack and Robert) sexual energy. What a total prick and he was the patriarch of this fuckfest of family.

Is this the Kennedy girl who had that cooking show and plays on the Gary Davidson show, and the one who used to go with the governor of new York city?

r94, iirc, the Bessette daughters' family sued the Kennedy estate and some $ amount was settled on them.

"And why would she spill the beans? She was heartbroken she got dumped by both brothers. A woman scorned, etc."

LOL. You are looking at it through a 2020 lens. Back then women didn't call up the media and announce that they were sleeping with married men. They didn't want to get branded as a tramp or a homewrecker. The media covered up for stars, anyway. No one heard about Kennedy's affairs while he was alive.

"btw, sometimes murders can be hidden all the more easily if the victim has emotional and addictive problems."

So they broke into her house and made her take some pills? Mmmmkay. Isn't it way more likely that she took them on her own? Some people don't get that suicide and accidents are way more common than murder, so they insist that EVERY suicide must really be a murder. Literally ever time a star kills himself or herself some conspiracy loons insist it was really murder.

R106 = Courtney Love

r107 = conspiracy loon

Some people do not have a sense of their mortality. Usually, parents get it, when they have children. Shocking because everyone is thinking about their mortality because the Covid-19 pandemic. And they were Kennedy's.

Hey everyone! Just as a heads up, I found them. Don’t worry, they’re with me. I’ll take care of them.

And you know just in the nick of time, that finback whale is finally done — sick to death of it, same meal every day for six months? Blech. But I digress.

[quote] Lots of good envy on this thread. Well she's dead now so why not envy that.

patience, my friend patience, your time will come

R102 we could only hope

R32, the Kennedys are Catholics, not Protestants.

That's why R32 said "wannabes".

For r41 and others who asked, the list of those family members Ethel Kennedy has outlived is lengthy. This doesn't being to take into account the myriad number of scandals, drug issues, divorces, murder , rape and other criminal cases, and illness. I'm sure I'm missing some here:

Both of her parents, who died in a private plane crash in 1955

all of her siblings except for one younger sister (per Wikipedia)

her husband, assassinated in 1968

her in-laws, inc all of her brother- and sister-in-laws, except for Jean Kennedy Smith

all of her in-laws' spouses, except for Joan Kennedy (still alive in Massachusetts)

two of her children, Michael and David

her daughter-in-law, Mary Richardson

Many of her Kennedy nieces/nephews, inc JFK, Jr & his wife; Kara Kennedy, & Chris Lawford

her granddaughter Saoirse (died last year) and now her eldest granddaughter Maeve and eldest great-grandchild

[quote] How can the Kennedy family continue to vacation at that house?

In 2019, Saoirse Kennedy Hill (Robert Kennedy's granddaughter), died of an overdose in a residence at the "Kennedy Compound" where her grandmother Ethel Kennedy lives. (Compound is in Hyannis Port, MA.) Nobody sold that compound after the death.

The Kennedys aren't cursed as much as they are STUPID.

Drugs....stupid accidents...flying planes they have no business flying...getting their heads in the way of bullets....

The list goes on and on.

Very sad, may they Rest In Peace.

The risk-taking gene in that family seems to be very dominant.

And sadly, they seem to take risks with other people's lives many times. There are numerous instances of spouses, gf/bfs or young dependent children being harmed/killed by their impulsiveness and carelessness.

O their iPods, "Cry me a River."

I read the news reports and the husband’s statement on FB. It’s not clear to me, who else was around when the two got in the kayak? How is it known they went to get the ball?

She was a very nice person and humble. It's sad. They made a dumb split-second decision.

Is there any woman.....ANY WOMAN....who is associated with this family, by marriage, blood, dating, that dies of natural causes?

Let's count the ways woman have died associated with American Camelot

Negligent homicide Accidental Suicide Drug overdose

R123, what about Jackie O? She died of lymphoma.

I'm ready for the Trump Family Curse. Sadly, they appear to be only carriers.

R16, question:

What does it matter how she perceived herself? She’s dead now.

I really dislike people who think like you, R16. You look at the world as a place where the wealthy or well connected, are all evil, and the enemy. You sound like a fucking idiot.

This woman did more in her 40 years, than you have in your lifetime. You bitch and complain because people are born into money, and then you bitch and complain if they pursue endeavors and careers in public health policy, and attempt to make a difference, BECAUSE their circumstances place them in conditions where they actually can.

You’re an asshole, R16. And that’s why you talk shit, yet never really do anything that makes a true difference in the lives of others.

R94 - Don't forget Joan (Ted's wife) found drunk on the side of a Boston street in a gutter....

Upthread someone said tragedies happen in all families - but I don't know of any family that has such a high concentration of tragedies. I honestly don't know how, for example, Caroline gets out of bed in the AM.

Seriously, if this was a fictional soap opera we'd turn it off for being too far-fetched....

R116, A compound vs. a vacation home? How can Kathleen Kennedy Townsend look out those windows at the very spot where the ocean took her daughter and grandson?

R121,

At about 4 p.m., children were kicking a ball back and forth in a yard and the ball went into the water.

He said his wife and son “popped into a canoe to chase it down. They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn’t get back in.”

Husband seemed very calm for someone who just lost his wife and son

The Kennedy recklessness gene strikes again.

That husband sure was ready to call it early, huh? Long before the bodies were even found "I guess they went out too far and couldn't recover." He was already posting a tribute online, etc.- did he have this all ready to go?

R93 why would she SAY the word 'splash?'

R133, That's harsh, man.

To place so much value on the missing ball it must be most special. Perhaps this was one of Harry's missing balls and they had promised Meghan they would return it to her.

The wind has been dreadful for the past two days. Only the dumbest person alive would get in a canoe with their young child to go after a ball. Something doesn’t make sense here.

R137, now that would be an interesting turn of events. Maybe the hubby was involved? There were witnesses that saw the two struggling in their kayak, but maybe he saw it and decided to do nothing. It’s weird how he has accepted their fate and had. I trouble talking to the media. Scott Peterson indeed.

^and had no trouble talking to the media.

Seriously, how hard would it be to add an edit button. Maybe one that’s active for just a few minutes even.

Were there actual witnesseses? i thought there's a bunch of children and folks around saw them getting into the kayak?

She seemed like agood person. But that kind of impulsivity and stupidity really runs in that family.

They already found the kayak, which is why its not a rescue mission anymore.

In Kennedyland witnesses are nothing more than extra checks for some legal secretary to draft.

some of you bitches . . .

I can't believe how stupid the mother is. it's not as if she can't afford another fucking ball...

some people are just too stupid to live...like those people who go on cruises after the princess diamond/coronavirus...

She was not stupid by any means—she’s an extremely accomplished woman—but that doesn’t equate to not being careless or thoughtless.

I thought people were asked not to go to their summer or secondary homes during the pandemic for fear of spreading the disease and straining smaller communities resources?

The husband is creepy AF. Guess they could not get back in?

WTF did a member of the public call it in? NOT the husband? Did none of the others watch them go out for the ball? Seems like something the other kids would watch?

Popped?

Also, it was reportedly a kayak, would he not know the difference or use correct details? Why was he chatting up the WP?

The wind was strong and waves were 3 feet with a lot of chop. None of it makes any sense,.

Hope the 3 younger kids are safe with dismisso Dad.

in this modern age, I'm surprised there weren't any videos...

I saw posts on social media re: the member of the public who called it in. Why on earth was a call not made by the mother/grandmother or husband/father?

The person who saw it seems pretty traumatized, Said the child seemed terrified. Very sad.

Not only was it windy, with chop and high waves, it was also cold. Nothing about it makes sense, including why no one in the family seemed nearly as observant or concerned as a stranger.

NEVER chase a ball in the water or into the street.

Had the family acted quickly it is very possible that they could have been saved. It is not plausible that NO ONE in the family watched them go out on the water and get into trouble. You could hardly keep a bunch of kids from watching that.

People have posted on this thread that they had met/knew Maeve, anyone know the husband?

I'm not familiar with this part of the country. But living right on the water, wouldn't there have been some people in the family living there or neighbors who would have had a larger, power boat that could have gone out after them while they were still in sight?

And, if, as I assume they were not wearing life preservers, what a thoughtless, careless thing to do. The mother behaved stupidly and since that family has always spent a lot of time on the water, she should have known better.

But the little boy - that is very sad and scary.

was she drunk? was she high on meds etc? bad judgement...unfit mother.

who the fuck in their right mind would go out to get a fucking ball in those conditions?

R152 today's current over-the-top moms who will stop at nothing to make sure everything is perfect for Billy.

i'll give her the benefit of doubt. they live there, very comfortable with the water, she and her kid must have retrieved lost balls many times before. its an accident.

The Curse of MJK.

She died in water, so that is how the Kennedys will die.

Two lives lost for a $10 ball?

Rich people have staff to go buy and bring them a new one!

R154 I’ll go with that. I’ve seen people who in my opinion act a little too nonchalant around water. And given the Kennedy penchant for action, and pushing kids to be go-getters, it was probably like “no prob, hop in, kid, we’ll go after it.” Like a little adventure. Until the time that it isn’t. She did sound like a very nice lady, and he a sweet little boy. But yes, a few questions remain.

I wonder if someone removed the plug that lets water into the kayak?

I used to love her MTV show "Alternative Nation".

When I was a teen I had a friend who died in a canoe accident in four feet of water and 30 feet from the shore pictured below. She was gone in seconds and not found for hours. Fell out of the boat, hit her head on the side, sunk, and was gone . It's the Russian River, known for it's deep green water (not clear), swift currents, underwater fallen trees, and other traps that kill people every year. Once a person has sunk below the surface they are very hard to find.

The Kennedys grew up on the water swimming and in boats. It was a freak accident caused by a freaky abrupt increase in winds. The family probably had every confidence they would return to shore quickly and weren't paying close attention.

Where I live we also have sleeper waves that come in suddenly and sweep people away into the ocean. We're advised never to go in after a dog. Owners go in and drown and the dogs usually make it back safely on their own.

Anyway, it was a sad accident and the family is now probably overwhelmed with grief asking themselves the same questions we're asking here.

Maybe it's was a little kids ball and he/she wrying about the ball floating away. So they wanted to save it for her/him.

I agree the husband's words sound off.

She was a sleeper agent, spreading the virus into Maryland then the off'd her.

And she obviously didn't have her cell phone on her, or could have called in a mayday once she realized she was too far from shore. The Coast Guard or local authorities could have sent a helicopter to at least hover over and keep an eye on them, or drop them lifejackets until they could be rescued. Although, not sure how cold the water was and how long they would have lasted until hypothermia set in.

Come to the river, Maeve. In the river, everything floats, and you'll float, too.

Will the Kennedy family request a special dispensation in order to conduct a double funeral during the current ban on funeral Masses?

The hubby posted this on FB which I find odd:

"Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball by the small, shallow cove behind the house, and one of them kicked the ball into the water. The cove is protected, with much calmer wind and water than in the greater Chesapeake. They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay. About 30 minutes later they were spotted by an onlooker from land, who saw them far out from shore, and called the police."

They went to retrieve the ball in their backyard cove, but were gone for 30 minutes, and he didn't check to see where they were? An onlooker had to call the police?

"Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball..."

Um, didn't an earlier statement say "a group of children" were playing kickball? But now it was ONLY Gideon and Maeve, with no one else around?

"They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball"

The phrase "intending simply" throws up a big red flag for me, too. Does anyone have video of the guy who supposedly witnessed this and called it in? I'd like to see that.

Will there be an investigation or will the authorities rubber stamp this because it involves the Kennedy family "and they've suffered enough"?

Does the husband have an Amber Frey stashed away?

Another part of the father's statement that is a red flag to me: "Gideon was 8, but he may as well have been 38."

Rationalizing.

On Google maps, you can actually see two canoes/kayaks on their property at the water's edge, at the edge of the cove. In the google aerial images, no motor boats are parked out front anywhere. Maybe they'r in storage until Memorial Day.

Does a bay have riptides like an ocean? Do the same rules apply? Paddle parallel to the shore instead of trying to head back?

Joe Kennedy III is currently attempting to unseat Senator Ed Markey(D-MA).

It wouldn't be the first time a Kennedy capitalized on a family tragedy.

No statement from Ethel?

Her firstborn grandchild and firstborn great-grandchild?

Maeve is actually Kathleen’s second daughter and Ethel’s second grandchild. The first is Kathleen’s daughter Meaghan, age 42.

I live in Maryland and have relatives that live one town over from Shady Side. I will try to find out if anyone knows anything about this.

It has been extremely windy both Thursday and Friday. and the bay would be very choppy even in a cove. Personal boating has been prohibited due to the state of emergency but not kayaks or canoes.

I don't believe the story about the ball. Why would you take a kid with you to retrieve the ball?

Is Governor Cuomo's ex-wife a daughter or granddaughter of Ethel Kennedy?

R177, Daughter.

It's not known if adults were around when they were in the cove looking for the ball. Maybe other kids were around but they may not have known to alert others right away. When a neighbor saw them in the bay 30 minutes later they called the police.

Another child might have seen them get in the kayak and paddle towards the ball. While things were still under control, maybe it was taking too long to get the ball, and the other child got bored and went inside the house. And then a few minutes later, the pair in the boat realized they were in trouble when they couldn't get back to shore. The pair in the boat likely shouted towards the house, but the occupants wouldn't have heard them over the sound of waves crashing on the shore. The dad was probably locked in a quiet room working from home. Perhaps the grandmother was in another room playing and studying with the other (noisy) kids.

I'm just saying in order to maintain a powerful dynasty sometimes murder is necessary.

Giggle.

r180, Thanks Matlock.

R171 what's the address? I wanna see

The wife disappeared on Thursday, but by Friday night he's already 'penned his emotional tribute' to her on Facebook?

Could she do us some good as a ghost? I would ask her to go to the White House and do her duty.

I wonder why she was so foolish? It seems weird.

r184 I won't post it here, but you can find it in this local news article which mentions it in a photo caption. Which I found strangely invasive, but perhaps they report things differently in MD.

America's royal family has suffered another horrific tragedy.

Damn these Kennedys are really committed to their tragic deaths.

[QUOTE] The dad was probably locked in a quiet room beside himself with excitement that Maeve and Gideon were drowning nearby.

Fixed.

From the Baltimore Sun article, according to former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Maeve's mother):

[quote] “You always knew when she was in a room,” she said in her statement. “Her laughter was loud, unabashed, and infectious. She did everything with her full self and her whole heart. She gave the best hugs, sang loudly and out of tune, danced, wrestled, argued, forgave.”

Sounds like an episode of Dateline: "She lit up the room."

“She loved balls. And water.”

Okay, so I’m not the only one who finds this a strange story. It makes no sense. Most of you aren’t parents, but I don’t know any parents who would let their child on a boat without wearing a life jacket. It’s like putting them in a car and not fastening their seat belt.

Apparently some other people reported seeing the mom and kid in the water, struggling. Honestly that’s the one thing in the dad’s defense. Otherwise he’s fishy. No pun intended.

R192, Sorry, but Maeve sounds rather obnoxious.

[quote] The wife disappeared on Thursday, but by Friday night he's already 'penned his emotional tribute' to her on Facebook?

They wouldn't have been able to have survived in the cold water

How did this family make a dynasty? They seem to have very common sense!

They have a really nice "weekend house"

R194, deplorables and sometimes the wealthy feel invincible and can be reckless. It's one thing they have in common.

R198, it’s a nice house, but nothing even close to spectacular. Any well-to-do couple would probably be able to afford it.

It wasn't Old Joe who was flying planes and skiing into trees, R197. He was doing relatively safe things like fucking Gloria Swanson and... well, fucking other women, too.

R198, I couldn't prove I was human.

R201, Like complimenting Adolf Hitler.

I am thinking they are a little bi polar...but usually on the upbeat side...therefore not a wise mother. It is all really sad.

One day them and water will get it right.

There’s fuckery afoot, I’m telling you. My money says he was banging the nanny.

Where the fuck was the husband when his wife was putting their kid into a canoe without a life jacket? How did he know they were going after a ball? Who made the 911 call about the boat in trouble? What kind of cove has riptides?

r200 the house is her mother Kathleen's beach house. It wasn't hers, she and her husband and children were there riding out quarantine, to get out of DC where they lived and worked. It's fairly nice for a 2nd home, on a private wooded lot with private access road, and right on the water.

r206 now that I see the photos of the beachfront, you can see that the 'cove' in question isn't very protected, and opens right out to the bay. It would be very easy to be blown out to sea on a windy day, and be tossed out of a flimsy canoe in the very choppy open water.

IMO, even if the Kennedy clan suspect the husband of foul play, nothing will be investigated. That would be too embarrassing for that family (Kennedys). You will not see them on TV or in court, tears streaming, crying out, "Justice for Maeve and Gideon!"

The original Kennedys aren't good people. Rose was a religious freak who cut her eldest daughter from her life after she married a Protestant (even though he was the son of a duke), and Joe was a huge bully and a monster of ambition who cheated relentlessly on his wife and who encouraged all four of his sons to be sleazy horndogs who made their wives miserable with their fornications (except Joe, Jr., who did not have a wife).

Among his other particular misdeeds, Joe, Sr. was a Nazi sympathizer before WW2, arranged to have Rosemary lobotomized for being too amorous with other men, bought votes for his sons, paid someone to write JFK's senior thesis in college, and regularly molested his daughters' school friends. He was one of the most monstrous people in the 20th century ever to be affiliated with the US Democratic Party.

She was an educated woman. She wasn’t like “John John” who thought he was invincible. She was a smart woman who wouldn’t have rounded up her youngest son and put him in a canoe to go look for a ball in a windstorm that has been here for 2 days. Something happened.

R208 is correct. Even if the husband killed her it will be squashed. The granddaughters OD on the Cape last year was very meticulously reported on. The police in Hyannis are bought and paid for by Ethel. You’re not gonna get the full story.

Not only that r209, if you believe rumors and stories, he bought the 1960 election for his son by crookedly wheeling and dealing with the worst criminal elements of the mafia in the US, only to have those alliances come back to haunt him when they helped arrange for his son's assassination (and possibly his next eldest son's as well, several years later).

A towering figure of tragic proportions, who had a hand in most of the tragedies that befell him.

I live in a cove that runs out into a bay. A cove does not have a riptide, but there can be strong currents which can take a kayak out very quickly. I’d go after a ball in the summertime. A day like the day they went out (or any day last week)? Absolutely not. Kayaks and choppy water do not mix. Add a kid with no vest and the cold and you are asking for trouble. I can understand feeling very comfortable on the water, but no way would I have gone out for a ball. I’d go out to try to save someone’s life, but with a vest and without the 8 year old.

If you look at a satellite image of the house and water, it’s quite a ways to the place where the canoes are stored, and the dock. It seems to be on another home’s property, and on a peninsula. The shore is lined with large rocks and unsuitable for launching a canoe. They’d have to have used the dock. At that point, it’s not a casual “let’s grab the ball before it gets too far!” It’s practically an expedition. “simply to retrieve the ball” doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe they figured they had nothing else to do? I’m not a fancy lawyer, or even a sailor, but I know you never get in a boat without a life jacket. And you don’t let a kid near a boat without a life jacket. When they find the bodies, they’ll be too battered to see if there was any foul play.

I don’t know, man. It doesn’t make sense.

My thought is that the kids were playing alone in the back yard, and the boy climbed into the kayak and went after the ball by himself. The other kid went into the house to get Mom. Mom comes rushing out, and the other kid thinks, "Mom's gonna beat his ass; I better go inside." Mom realized right away the boy was in trouble. She swam to him and climbed into the kayak and tried to paddle them back to shore, but the currents were too strong.

R208, Speaking of embarrassing, there was Kerry Kennedy Cuomo's DUI trial.

R214, there appears to be a very small, sandy beach to the lower right of the kayaks.

“We were self-quarantining in an empty house owned by Maeve’s mother...”

“Empty”? That’s an odd choice of words. Did he mean it was unfurnished? Uninhabited until they came? What?

The man is a lawyer. Usually they choose their words carefully. So odd.

R212, Old Joe also had all records of JFK's brief first marriage destroyed prior to his run for POTUS in 1960.

Hard to believe Ethel is still alive when her cunt was used as a factory by “Bobby”. 11 fucking kids? So sad. No wonder most of them are alchys/drug addicts/mentally ill.

R218, the property seems to have two houses side by side.

Where is the ball now???

R222 asking the most important questions

How long before the search is called off?

Bill Clinton was criticized for continuing the Coast Guard search for JFK, Jr.'s plane, but Bill cited that he was the son of a former POTUS.

R215, that’s possible.

All I know is I don’t buy the official version. It stinks.

R198 That house looks like crap. It was built in 1997 and looks it. I hate those chimneys covered in siding that they do in that shoddy 1990s construction, HATE that shit. The deck and railings look cheap and tacky too.

[quote] Where is the ball now???

The Coast Guard will resume searching tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience.

R222, you mean “the ball”.

R223, Then R44 should have had you howling.

R210, smart, educated people do stupid and reckless things all the time.

What do you think happened? That the husband forced her and the son into the canoe and pushed them off shore? That would be extremely difficult to do.

r224 she's the daughter of a former lieutenant governor of that state, and also a Kennedy. It's the combination of both factors - and the fact a small child is involved, and she's the mother of other small children - that will factor into keeping the recovery mission going a few more days.

R221, I’m not following. So he used the word “empty” to distinguish it from the house next door that wasn’t “empty”? Does Kathleen own the other house as well?

What the fuck difference does it make? Why did he mention the house was empty when he’s talking about his missing wife and child who presumably drowned? It’s so weird.

[quote] Bill Clinton was criticized for continuing the Coast Guard search for JFK, Jr.'s plane, but Bill cited that he was the son of a former POTUS.

Let's not get carried away. The son of a former POTUS is a very different thing than the [italic]grandniece[/italic] of a former POTUS.

Another poor woman who died at the hands of a Kennedy. Shocking.

Would the Coast Guard be searching this earnestly for Amy Carter?

R224, good question. I have to wonder if they can’t predict where the bodies will wash up, based on tides and such. They must have an idea.

I wonder who called in the report of the canoe off the shore.

R232 he's deflecting something - there was a mistress there - something went down - the wife probably stormed out saying she was going canoeing and he said "fucking go, dumbass" and then the young boy was too scared to let his mom go out in the canoe alone, and he jumped in at the last minute to console her as they both sobbed and eventually got too far to save themselves.

Just a guess.

Uh, she was the Kennedy, R234.

r233 see r231: her mother is the former 2nd in charge of the state she was in when she went missing (MD). PLUS she's a Kennedy. That alone will potentially extend the mission a bit.

The MD authorities already announced it's become a recovery mission, and that search-and-rescue efforts were over. They did this in less than 48 hours, which would be standard practice and not out of the norm. There was almost no chance they'd survive out in the cold water that long.

[quote]Would the Coast Guard be searching this earnestly for Amy Carter?

Short answer: yes, very likely. If it was off the coast of GA, AL or the FL panhandle: absolutely.

240 posts and no one has asked "Can I have her stuff?".

R230, a version of events could be that the parents argued and Maeve stormed off, taking the kid with her. Those ambitious types are tightly wound.

Maybe the boy stormed off and a version of r215’s theory happened.

It’s not necessarily that the husband killed the wife. Maybe the wife was responsible.

[quote] Another poor woman who died at the hands of a Kennedy.

Honey, she WAS herself a Kennedy. The husband is not, if he's who you mean.

R232, I can totally see that happening.

That’s what I’m saying. Using the word “empty” is odd. I thought maybe he was specifying that they weren’t staying with anyone else or sharing the house with other family members. But why would that matter anyway?

R242, Killing the wife is equal to not doing anything to rescue the wife.

Maybe Maeve and Gideon are still alive...

I find the notion that a man married to a Kennedy woman (by blood), esp one of Kathleen's daughters and Ethel's 1st/2nd eldest granddaughter, would be ballsy enough to plan her death like that, or think he'd get away with it, kind of laughable.

Most of the male in-laws in that family were/are not what you'd call 'alpha' males. They are mostly the opposite of the men born into that family. I don't believe he would have been banging the nanny or even having an affair, if he valued his own peace and safety.

Lol @ the Marilyn Monroe queens who always pop up in a Kennedy thread. She killed herself dears. She was a deeply unhappy woman who loved alcohol and pills. Do the math.

Well, I’m just relieved to know that I’m not the only one who thought there was something weird about this story.

Have we heard from Aunt Caroline?

[quote] Most of the male in-laws in that family were/are not what you'd call 'alpha' males. They are mostly the opposite of the men born into that family. I don't believe he would have been banging the nanny or even having an affair, if he valued his own peace and safety.

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Alpha male married to Maria Kennedy Shriver. Had child with housekeeper (Arnold did).

Caroline doesn't have much to do with the rest of the family anymore, since Teddy died. She wasn't present at Saoirse's funeral last year, even though she grew up with and was previously very close to her mother, Courtney. Her absence was notable.

There hasn't been such an aggressive investigation on DL since the hot pastor who came home to find his wife shot dead by an intruder.

Exception to a rule r251. And look what happened there; splitsville.

Andrew Cuomo also an exception. He wouldn't put up with Kerry's waywardness and generally louche attitude. Very troubled marriage all throughout.

Side note - I wonder why Caroline never got her teeth fixed.

Caroline married a Jew. She was disowned.

I went to HS with Jack. He was a great guy.

Please, Jackie LOVED Ed, she totally approved of him for Caroline as did the rest of the family. Even if later they grew to really dislike him due to his high-handed ways and controlling attitude.

I went to HS at collegiate with jack. His mom married a Jew and they never forgave her. She hasn’t been at any “family” events in awhile. Jack was considered a Jew as well.

These guys always cheat. Come on.

R256, Pat married a British actor with a questionable sexual history.

Three strikes in Old Joe's book.

Husband looks like a polished Dean McDermott.

R7 Kennedy's BALL. Next time pay closer attention!

r258 you may have gone to Collegiate (congrats) but you're extremely wrong; Jackie and the rest of the clan loved Ed for Caroline, and had no problems with him, at least while she (Jackie) was still alive. And Caroline went to plenty of family events over the years, with Ed and all of her children. The real withdrawal from the Kennedys came mostly after Teddy died in '09, and it was all on her end, not the rest of them.

R259, Yep.

R261, That's not very difficult.

[quote] “We were self-quarantining in an empty house owned by Maeve’s mother...” [quote]“Empty”? That’s an odd choice of words. Did he mean it was unfurnished? Uninhabited until they came? What?

He meant that the house was empty of people and thus an appropriate location to self-quarantine. He probably hoped to avoid being accused of putting Maeve’s mother/extended family members at risk by showing up there.

R261, he DOES look like the Deaner. “What’s Crappenin’?”

If he truly is an innocent dude, I feel for him. Maybe he’s just awkward and his odd posts are a byproduct of that.

She did it because she thought she could.

It's a moot point now.

A mother and her young son are dead.

[quote] [R242], Killing the wife is equal to not doing anything to rescue the wife.

And yet that still doesn't mean Maeve is/was "another poor woman who died at the hands of Kennedy."

The husband is not a Kennedy. Maeve herself is/was.

R265, oh. When you spell it out like that, it makes more sense.

Sorry, when I’m reading a missive by a man whose wife and kids are missing, I’m not thinking about him spreading a virus to his mother in law. Guess my mind works differently.

R263 is a paid shill from the Kennedy family, trying to silence all of us, and this murder too

Would she have chased a ball into the street without looking?

Naw nigga

OT, but why did Caroline draw away fro the Kennedy clan?

How very sad indeed for the family, especially coinciding with Easter holiday, and Palm Sunday. That shall be a most unfortunate anniversary for any Catholic, I should think. It is sad so many posters only have vitriol to spew at this family.

It doesn't surprise me in the least such a fit and athletic person who grew up familiar with, and comfortable on the water would take the risk; I've seen it myself many times. Very smart people often lack common sense or proper caution as well.

So what is the source of this alleged Kennedy Family Curse?

Angry leprechaun?

Spurned banshee?

Menacing Taboo tiki doll discovered on Hawaiian Vacation?

Someone must know. Certainly, we can speculate!

Or is this a topic for another thread?

R275, that’s probably what happened. I do wonder how he got the information about them going after the ball. Maybe the little daughter was there and reported to the dad.

R276 I probably lack the correct or most interesting answer, but believe many families plagued by so many freak accidents, and bad luck if u will, question whether or not they're "cursed". It may be a Catholic reflection upon being punished in a way. That's my take on it, in a nutshell!

R276 The "curse" was Joe's willingness to sacrifice his children on the altar of his ambition.

"He was one of the most monstrous people in the 20th century ever to be affiliated with the US Democratic Party."

TOO RIGHT HE WAS

So did he force them into the kayak at gunpoint or how exactly did this go down?

[quote] Sorry, when I’m reading a missive by a man whose wife and kids are missing, I’m not thinking about him spreading a virus to his mother in law. Guess my mind works differently.

It most certainly does work differently. I can't believe you needed that explained to you

I think police need to question this ball.

For the record - it was a kayak, not a canoe. Regarding the "house was empty", most likely means "not rented at that time". I am confident that this cheapo place was not the senior Mrs Kennedy's vacay home, but an investment property that was rented out.

[quote]probably worships the Trump family

R70 Curious how you came to that conclusion. How does R68's comments about the Kennedy family have anything to do with Trump?

R276 The “curse” is what happens when reckless bravado and arrogance meet substance abuse.

Kennedys are careless, dangerous people with little regard for human life, including their own. They live life as if there are no rules. And people like that pay a price.

Here's Maeve speaking . . .

At least we can take solace in the fact that Maeve and Gideon are now in heaven enjoying eternal life with the Lord.

R289, Happy Palm Sunday, Ethel.

Yes, I would indeed put a Nazi supporter right up there with the Dixie segregationists, r280.

Right now in heaven Maeve is helping Rosemary learn about periods.

Every time something bad happens to the Kennedys people invoke THE KENNEDY CURSE.

What, do bad things not happen to other people?

R292, And probably colons, as well.

r287 is gleefully cheering the deaths of people. Sounds like you have little regard for human life. Typical deplorable, bash the Kennedy family but praise evil guys like Dump

I've been mildly critical of the Kennedys and their ways in this thread, and I'm a diehard anti-Trumper.

It's not 'gleefully cheering' the deaths of two people to note that the very famous family they were a part of, has a long storied history of misbehavior and tragic outcomes directly linked to their own carelessness.

Actually r290 I know you jest, but I was thinking about Ethel today and how she must be feeling. She is 91 years old, soon to be 92 this coming week.

A lot of people die because of carelessness. People who eat shitty food, don't exercise, smoke, drink too much, do drugs.....but no one says those people died because of carelessness and gloats about their deaths.

[quote] People who eat shitty food, don't exercise, smoke, drink too much, do drugs.....but no one says those people died because of carelessness and gloats about their deaths.

I kind of wish some people would drop dead of a heart attack, R297.

[quote]A lot of people die because of carelessness. People who eat shitty food, don't exercise, smoke, drink too much, do drugs.....but no one says those people died because of carelessness and gloats about their deaths.

A lot of people die of carelessness, but there is no high profile family in modern contemporary history that has had so many needless avoidable deaths of its members, many of them young, in such a short span of time and generations.

And if you take into account all of the non-fatal scandal and destruction, its staggering, actually. This is no ordinary family. And no one is 'gloating' about anything, merely opining about it as is done here. Stop exaggerating.

I love how this thread has turned into an episode of "Murder She Wrote" and the rampant speculation about the whereabouts of the soccer ball!

I live about 30 minutes south Shady Side (in white trash MD, not landed gentry MD), and it was extremely windy & choppy - and live on a river, not right off the Chesapeake. It does seem like a bizarre story - and its true - most kayaks are meant for flat water and certainly not for any type of chop and lots of people who should know better do stupid, ill advised things. By all accounts, she sounds like a nice, accomplished woman, but her mother was always kind of daft & clueless (though basically an alright person), so maybe that's the way the daughter was too.

Like playing football while skiing down a mountain, stupid things happen to stupid people.

R299, people are definitely gloating. And the Republican sociopath at r298 is now wishing death on me

A big Mary! for you r302.

R296 I can’t imagine anyone voluntarily going through pregnancy and childbirth once, let alone 11 fucking times.

[quote]there is no high profile family in modern contemporary history that has had so many needless avoidable deaths of its members

Well that family does have a LOT of members though. They breed like rabbits.

R300

[quote] but her mother was always kind of daft & clueless (though basically an alright person), so maybe that's the way the daughter was too.

You mean Kathleen? Wasn't she Lt Gov of Maryland? And ran for Governor (and lost)?

So, she's kind of daft & clueless?

I heard she ran a daft and clueless campaign for Governor, and then she lost.

It brings to mind the tasteless joke that went around the JFK Jr. died in a plane crash: "It used to be that Kennedys killed their women one at a time. Now it's two at a time."

It's Maryland's loss, they didn't have enough sense to elect Kathleen governor.

R307, Kathleen was the first Kennedy to lose an election, not counting primaries.

R306, The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Anyone who's ever had dealings with Ethel will tell you she's often daft and clueless.

R57 Who caused the 'curse' of the family? Old Joe and his lust for power. He was the Donald Trump of his time. Don't take my word for it. Read a history book

Ethel attending granddaughter Saoirse's funeral last August.

the kennedy;s think they're great swimmers and excellent at water sports.

There is no such thing as a curse. If there were, Dump’s family would be decimated.

In due time, R315, in due time.

Please. There’s more to life than Donald Trump. I get it, you’re obsessed, but can we not discuss anything without making it about him? So sick of it jfc

Has the ball been apprehended? Fuck Trump, and curses, we need to find this ball and make it start talking.

MY DAUGHTER HAD A BALL!

Yes, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was the Lt Gov of MD under Parris Glendending & later ran and lost for Gov. By "daft and clueless" I meant that even under Parris, Kathleen seemed earnest enough & had all the right credentials, but was consistently tone deaf (a lot of MD is still pretty blue collar) and extremely un-savvy (if that's a word) for a politician. So she's on bad footing anyway, then she runs a campaign for Gov (though to her credit, that fuck Parris basically shanked her) that is equally clueless, tone deaf and seemed utterly oblivious to what MDers really cared about. So she loses and pretty much disappears from MD politics. So my point being is that perhaps the daughter was like her mom: very earnest, very caring, gung-ho, but perhaps lacking in common sense & situational awareness, if you will. It's still very sad, but it seems like the kind of thing a couple of teenage boys would do rather than a middle aged woman with a kid in tow.

They haven't found the bodies yet?

kennedy's what?

R322, that question was answered at r60.

As authorities continued their search Monday for a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and her 8-year-old son, who went missing in a canoe Thursday in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, a somber Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III posted a moving video tribute to his relatives, who are now presumed dead.

Speaking with his wife, Lauren Birchfield Kennedy at his side, Congressman Kennedy described Maeve Fahey Kennedy Townsend, 41, and her son, Gideon, as “two of our brightest lights in our family” who “have gone.”

As authorities continued their search Monday for a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and her 8-year-old son, who went missing in a canoe Thursday in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, a somber Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III posted a moving video tribute to his relatives, who are now presumed dead.

Speaking with his wife, Lauren Birchfield Kennedy at his side, Congressman Kennedy described Maeve Fahey Kennedy Townsend, 41, and her son, Gideon, as “two of our brightest lights in our family” who “have gone.”

As authorities continued their search Monday for a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and her 8-year-old son, who went missing in a canoe Thursday in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, a somber Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III posted a moving video tribute to his relatives, who are now presumed dead.

Speaking with his wife, Lauren Birchfield Kennedy at his side, Congressman Kennedy described Maeve Fahey Kennedy Townsend, 41, and her son, Gideon, as “two of our brightest lights in our family” who “have gone.”

Terrible that they haven’t been found.

They've been sleeping with the fishes since Thursday afternoon.

Where was the witness who saw them struggling in the water? Didn't I read that the witness was on a bridge?

That would give some indication of their direction.

Very sad about that little boy. He would have been terrified.

I thought the witness was a neighbor who day the boat drift past their home and noticed the boat was pretty far out there and the occupants appeared to be struggling.

Is there still an organized search?

The bay is huge. The currents move in multiple directions, so the waves do too. Instead of a series of rolling waves that all move in the same direction in a rhythm, waves move from all directions , speeds, and sizes. It's hard to look for someone or something in the water, and it's more difficult to swim or tread water.

Body discovered.

"A preliminary investigation found that McKean and her son may have been paddling the canoe out into the bay to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore."

Oh, so now it's "MAY HAVE BEEN"? Whoever wrote this article knows more than they can say-- for now.

It must be annoying the hell out of the Kennedy family that they're not able to hold a paparazzi friendly service for the victims.

This report is outdated, but it contains interesting quotes from the husband.

What I find strange about the husband’s comments is the detached, passive tone. Where was he when all this happened? It’s quarantine, surely he was in the house or around the property when all this went down. Napping? Busy with some project? It’s not quite suspicious but it is odd. He does not account for himself. If he wasn’t a witness, who told him about the ball? Eh, I guess it’s none of my beeswax.

He could have been working from home, locked into a quiet room, maybe even on a conference call. Perhaps it was the wife's turn to occupy the kids.

[quote]Body discovered.

Finally, an answer to "Kennedy's - WHAT?"

Maybe she took her son there for a break. Remember, kids are not in school. Maybe it was just the two of them. And maybe they didn't bring along another ball.

I read the house belonged to her mother and it was empty. They were staying there because the kids had more room to play in their permanent home.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the body of 8-year-old Gideon McKean, the grandson of former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, not far from where his mother’s body was found after the two were swept into the Chesapeake Bay from a canoe.

Gideon and his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, were isolating from the novel coronavirus at Townsend’s home in Shady Side, Md., on April 2. David McKean, Gideon’s father and Maeve McKean’s husband, said the mother and son were playing kickball when the ball went into the water.

Gideon and his mother climbed into a canoe for what they thought would be a short trip to retrieve the ball, but strong currents and gusty winds pushed them out into the bay.

They were not wearing life jackets, expecting to be in the canoe for only a minute or two, a family friend told The Washington Post. But winds of 30 mph and a strong undertow pulled the canoe away from shore.

A search was launched, but by Friday the effort had turned from a rescue to a recovery mission, involving aviation and underwater imaging technology. McKean, the daughter of Townsend and the granddaughter of former senator Robert F. Kennedy, was found Monday about 2.5 miles south of Townsend’s home.

Gideon was found about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday by the Maryland Natural Resources Police Underwater Team, according to a tweet from Mike Ricci, a spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan (R). The child was found about 2,000 feet from where his mother had been located, in water 25 feet deep.

very sad.

Sad.

looks like there really were no eyewitnesses ? so why they think its about the ball?

That's what I'm wondering, R345

Maybe she talked to someone on her cell phone before getting into the kayak?

Oh, please! This stinks to high heaven. If there were a witness, McKean would be parading him in front of the cameras.

I wish that "statement analysis" guy would analyze McKean's statement. "Welp, they're dead, now! Not much you can do!" And what about the mother's statement? Why on earth would a mother end a memorial tribute to her daughter with the words "argue" and "forgive"? It's a statement, alright, directed right at David McKean: "I've got your number, pal."

I don’t mean to be insensitive but ok, they were in a runaway canoe but how did that lead to death? These types grow up on the water and learn all types of survival methods.

The bodies were close enough in to be found.

I’m not suggesting foul play, just that this doesn’t sit well with me.

When the Lord calls us home, we have to go.

R350, is that you, Rose?

[quote]When the Lord calls us home, we have to go.

Not today, Satan!

Mary Todd Lincoln was pushed over the edge by the deaths of two sons and the murder of her husband, yet Ethel Kennedy has endured worse and just keeps going.

Some people are extremely tough and resilient r353. Ethel always had a rep as a ballbuster in the family, even long before Bobby was killed.

Someone posted on the Daily Mail that Ethel has been in Florida and the family is keeping the news of these deaths from her.

I don't see how that's possible.

Didn't witnesses see them struggling and call 911?

If that's true, then I don't see how this story is anything other than an adult making a stupid decision which cost her her life and that of her son.

R349, I can tell you don't know anything about boating or general water safety.

Did they fall out of the canoe? I imagine they could swim. The bay isn’t that wide.

R357 I can tell you’re an asshole.

"Didn't witnesses see them struggling and call 911?"

David McKean says so. But where is the confirmation from law enforcement? Where is the witness himself/herself? And why are media outlets now saying they "may have been" struggling in a kayak?

Hypothermia would set in, leading to drowning. If it was August, yeah, they probably could have swum in. In water that cold, arms and legs go numb and difficult to move as the body tries to send blood to the heart and brain.

If the husband was not there, WHO was with the 7 and 2 year old when mom jumped in a canoe? As nuts as the chasing a ball story is, leaving a 2 year old toddler unsupervised to do so jumps the shark.

It was cold, windy and there was significant chop, a canoe is never appropriate in that kind of water. They were likely thrown out or it tipped, waves were said to be at least 3 feet.

Hypothermia would set in, leading to drowning. If it was August, yeah, they probably could have swum in. In water that cold, arms and legs go numb and difficult to move as the body tries to send blood to the heart and brain.

If the husband was not there, WHO was with the 7 and 2 year old when mom jumped in a canoe? As nuts as the chasing a ball story is, leaving a 2 year old toddler unsupervised to do so jumps the shark.

It was cold, windy and there was significant chop, a canoe is never appropriate in that kind of water. They were likely thrown out or it tipped, waves were said to be at least 3 feet.

argued and forgave?

WTH?

Gideon was a protective older brother? Even an 8 year old would know leaving a toddler alone was unsafe, what if TOBY tried to follow and fell in the water?

That the HUSBAND did not contact authorities is the biggest tell, IMHO.

link did not post

Cant' read the link at R364 here in the EU, can someone copypaste the 'argue and forgive' statement from KKT?

Here you go...

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend issued a statement about the lives of her eldest daughter and grandson, who were missing after a witness saw them struggling in a canoe on the Chesapeake Bay.

Crews from local, state and federal agencies have been searching for Maeve McKean, 41, and her son, Gideon McKean, 8, of Washington, D.C., since they disappeared Thursday about 10 miles south of Annapolis.

Townsend made this statement Friday night, after the U.S. Coast Guard called off its rescue mission:

"With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery.

Our Maeve devoted her life to helping society’s most vulnerable. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer who pursued a career in law to give voice to the voiceless. She was Executive Director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative and taught bioethics and human rights as an adjunct professor, where she gave hope to those who need it most. Maeve served on the board of the Brady Campaign and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, where she honored the standard that we are all defined by the plight of those society leaves behind.

She was a PTA president, a soccer star, and a marathon runner.

Maeve was vivid. You always knew when she was in a room. Her laughter was loud, unabashed, and infectious. She did everything with her full self and her whole heart. [bold]She gave the best hugs, sang loudly and out of tune, danced, wrestled, argued, forgave.[/bold]

Maeve shone. The fire emanating from her soul warmed us all.

Her husband, David, and their children, Gideon, Gabriella, and Toby, were the great joys of her life. The role she treasured most was mom.

Gideon, like his mom, was a star athlete who loved soccer, golf, and running. He took after his parents in the most extraordinary ways. He loved riddles, math, chess, and adventures. He loved to invent new games with his mom and share them with us all. Gideon was a loving and protective big brother to Gabriella and Toby.

When my uncle Ted eulogized my father, he offered a prayer that what my father was to his family, and what he wished for others, would someday come to pass for all the world. This is our prayer for Maeve and Gideon.

My heart is crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world.

My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss."

Thanks R366, to be honest that line really didn't strike me as remarkable.

This whole think is very sad.

So much needless tragedies in the Kennedy family, decade after decade.

[r368] Give it a rest, you National Enquirer Queen. No family is immune from death. I don't understand why people think the Kennedy's are any different than any other family. If they were Black and lived on the South or West sides of Chicago, they would not stand out from all the other families who experienced "needless tragedies" on a daily basis. I have never met anyone that hasn't had more than one terrible loss in their families.

Ethel Kennedy turns 92 today.

The Kennedys are America's royal family.

[r370] And she'll be drunk by noon. Oh, who am I kidding? She woke up drunk.

We're not dead- just on hiatus!

R372, Joan's the lush, not Ethel.