Brian and Sandy Stewart are opening up about the tragic passing of their son, documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart, who went missing off the Florida Keys following a night dive in January.
Recalling the frightening moments after they received the disturbing news that their son had gone missing, Brian tells ET Canada: “We dropped everything and ran home, and went to the airport, and we arrived in Key West the next morning at five in the morning.”
READ MORE: Rob Stewart’s family calls filmmaker’s drowning ‘preventable’ in wrongful death lawsuit
“Richard Branson sent a helicopter, all sorts of celebrity friends were helping behind the scenes,” Sandy recalls about the search. “The search was massive. They said they’d never had a search effort like that in the Keys before.”
“We were all very optimistic we’d find him above water, which is why we had so many people,” Brian adds. “Forty boats went out, 13 planes and helicopters and people from all over North America and, in fact, even from London.”
Their son’s body was discovered in the ocean a few days after the search began, and Brian and Sandy have since filed a lawsuit against the businesses and people reportedly involved in Rob’s death.
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When asked about their legal action, Brian gets emotional telling ET Canada: “This isn’t about the money from our perspective at all. This is about making sure no one else dies the way Rob died. No other parent should go through what we went through.”
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When it comes to their son’s followup “Sharkwater” film, which he was working on when he passed, Sandy says, “His film is going to continue. The team is still together and they’re going to finish the film,” adding, “It should be finished and completed for 2018.”
Watch the full ET Canada interview on Global TV this Thursday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
WATCH: Family, friends attend funeral for Toronto filmmaker Rob Stewart
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