JFK’s grand-niece, son, missing in boat accident

Two members of the Kennedy family have been missing for more than 24 hours after a boating accident and authorities fear the worst.

A grand-niece of President John F. Kennedy and her son disappeared off the coast of Maryland, USA and search crews have been scrambling to find them for nearly 24 hours.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean is the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, making her the grand-niece of JFK.

She was at her mother’s home in Shady Side overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at 4pm Thursday when she and her eight-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, hopped into a canoe, according to the NY Post.

Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean. Picture: Twitter via AP

Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean. Picture: Twitter via APSource:AP

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 media.

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

The pair was later sucked into the South River where they are feared to have drowned.

Ms McKean, 40, was at the home of her mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, when she went missing.

David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend Mckean and their children. Picture: Mike Pont/Getty Images via AFP

David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend Mckean and their children. Picture: Mike Pont/Getty Images via AFPSource:AFP

Mr McKean wouldn’t confirm whether the boat had been found, but the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police said that one matching its description had been recovered.

A concerned person called authorities around 4.30pm Thursday to say he had seen the canoe near the Columbia Beach pier, according to Capt. Erik Kornmeyer, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/jfks-grandniece-son-missing-in-boat-accident/news-story/1c8b8016bd1082da036c7fb58de532ef