Watch the video above: River search underway for missing Myles Macintosh
SASKATOON- Search efforts for the body of Gregory “Myles” MacIntosh were unsuccessful Friday. It is believed that MacIntosh fell into the South Saskatchewan River after he was kicked off a pub crawl bus on the night he was celebrating his bachelor party.
For hours on Friday, officials searched a section of the river between the Sid Buckwold Bridge and the Broadway Bridge trolling for any sign of MacIntosh.
“The theory that we were going on is Mr. MacIntosh went into the river on the east side in fairly shallow water, approximately six to nine feet deep of water and not in the very deep channel and slower current,” said Det. Sgt. Randy Huisman with Major Crimes Unit, Missing Persons Task Force with Saskatoon police.
Prior to this search getting underway, police believed there was a possibility that his remains may still be contained within that area.
“After doing the sonar imagery we now believe that Mr. MacIntosh is not in that area we believe that he has now entered the deep channel and he may have possibly been swept down stream,” said Huisman.
On Feb. 2, 2014, a witness saw a person fall into the river and five days later blood was found in the same location. DNA testing would later prove the blood was that of 28-year-old MacIntosh.
Friday, police and fire crews utilized sonar technology offered to them by Shearwater Marine Services.
“You can go anywhere from a five metre radius to probably in these conditions you may get imagery up to about 60 or 70 metres in radius,” said Mike Steckhan, president of Shearwater Marine Services.
Technology officials were hoping to capitalize during this search.
“The divers in this type of water have no visibility and their search radius, even though they are on a tendered line they can search large areas but their initial search when their diving is very confined,” said Morgan Hackl, assistant chief with the Saskatoon Fire Department.
Those involved say they’re disappointed their search was unsuccessful.
“If we had found something and that would have helped with some people than that would be great, the fact that we didn’t, well that’s a wild river and it flows and it goes,” said Steckhan.
“I thought the possibility that he was still there was not that great but the professionals that do this kind of thing and the people we have talked to over the years say the possibility existed.”
Police will now have to reassess what their next steps will be in the MacIntosh investigation and will contact RCMP as it conducts it’s own annual search of the river for all human remains.
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