After a weeks-long, multi-agency effort, rescue crews have recovered the body of Cole Marsh, the Coquitlam teen presumed drowned in Lynn Creek last month.
Using boats, helicopters and underwater cameras, North Shore Rescue and North Vancouver RCMP had been searching for Marsh’s remains since he lost his grip on the rocks and slid into the creek on March 28.
On April, 4 searchers found his body pinned down by water pressure to the creek bottom, under the rapids near where he was last seen. High, rushing water from mountain runoff made the creek unsafe for the recovery.
North Shore Rescue volunteers put in almost 2,000 operational hours in the search and highly technical recovery on Tuesday afternoon.
“It was all about closure for the family,” North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks said.
The body has now been turned over to BC Coroners Service.
The district is planning to install new, larger warning signs at the canyon before the Victoria Day long weekend and council is expecting a report back on further public safety measures in the coming weeks. It comes at a time when cliff jumping in the park is becoming increasingly popular thanks to posts being spread on social media.
“It’s a tragedy that highlights the danger of going into these out-of-bounds areas and that Lynn Creek remains a very unpredictable and dangerous place,” said Sgt. Doug Trousdell, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. “People are advised to follow the signs and use a lot of caution when they’re in Lynn Canyon.”
District of North Vancouver and Metro Vancouver parks staff, Emergency Management B.C. North Vancouver city and district firefighters, as well as private firms Cam-do, Candive, Talon Helicopters, Nuytco and PLC Electronics all contributed to the effort.
