A Victoria couple’s boating excursion turned deadly after their boat capsized on a guided tour downstream on the Bella Coola River.
Andrea and Cameron Murdoch, 42 and 51, were headed from Victoria to Bella Coola and hired a boat and a guide for a four-hour boat trip.
There are reports the couple were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
The fishing guide boat from a local lodge was identified going downstream around 11:30 a.m. on the Bella Coola River near Walker Island Park on Tuesday, August 10th.
According to Bella Coola RCMP, someone spotted the boat partially capsized.
There were believed to be three people aboard the vessel—the couple along with the hired guide—but no persons were found on or near the boat when it was discovered.
That same night, just after 7:30 p.m., Campbell River Search and Rescue deployed a helicopter and located the body of an individual approximately two kilometres above Grant Road and four kilometres downstream from the river bend.
The family have since identified the body as Cameron Murdoch. Andrea remains missing and is presumed dead — the tour guide is also still missing.
Both air and water searches continue in the area in hopes of finding the two missing people.
The BC Coroners Service is currently conducting a concurrent fact-finding investigation into this unexpected death.
The Bella Coola RCMP requested anyone who may have information on this incident, or saw the boat earlier on August 10th to contact the police detachment at (250) 799-5363.
