Bear Clan, Drag the Red continue search for missing boater

Two volunteer groups are continuing the search for a man who went missing and is presumed drowned after the boat he was on capsized Friday.

The Bear Clan Patrol and Drag the Red, along with family and friends, are entering their third day of searching for the man, whom friends identified as Brett Oryniak.

There were four people in the boat when it started taking on water and ultimately capsized near Chief Peguis Trail on Friday night, police said. Two of them made it to shore and called police, while a third was found in the water and taken to hospital.

Despite a search by rescuers and the police helicopter, Oryniak and the boat have not been found. Police have said given the depth, speed and temperature of the water, they believe the missing man is dead.

The driver of the boat, a 24-year-old man, was arrested for driving while ability impaired causing death, driving while ability impaired, and causing death by criminal negligence. He was released on a promise to appear in court.

The two volunteer groups organized a search that began Saturday. 

Now it's about closure for the family, said Darryl Contois, a volunteer with the Bear Clan.

"It doesn't matter if he drowned. He's still somebody's loved one," said Contois.

"It could be anybody's kid, you know, and they would want them home … instead of looking at that river, wondering where they are."

The group met at 9 a.m. Monday at the north Perimeter and the Red River, near a boat launch, and then drove to Lockport to start the search there, making their way back to the city.

Anyone wishing to help may join the group. Searchers are asked to wear good running shoes, hiking boots or waterproof gear, said Contois; the banks of the river are slippery and the water is moving swiftly. 

Kimberly Kostiuk, a ground search trainer with Drag the Red, said Monday morning she is training volunteers to search the riverbanks. 

"Right now we are working on getting a boat out here if we can, and I'm taking these people out here back to the river shore and we're going to keep searching."

The group has found a few things but won't disclose what they've discovered until police say they can, said Kostiuk.

About 25 people joined the search Sunday, and Kostiuk said they hoped to have more Monday. The group planned to search for the rest of the day and into the evening, Kostiuk said. 

Family members politely declined to speak to CBC. A fundraiser has been set up to help searchers with costs.

Search for missing boater

7 years ago

Duration 0:37

Two volunteer groups are continuing the search for a man who went missing and is presumed drowned after the boat he was on capsized Friday.