BIRCH ISLAND – In the early evening hours of Friday, July 24, members of the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service and the Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Marine Unit were dispatched to the waters just off Sunshine Alley Road on Whitefish River First Nation.
It was reported that a group of people were cliff jumping into the water when a male did not resurface after one of his attempts. Other persons at the scene attempted to look for the male but were unsuccessful at the time. The OPP Marine Unit was dispatched and conducted search and rescue attempts with negative results.
On Saturday, July 25, the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit attended the location and recovered the body of Brian Joseph Waboose, age 29, of Whitefish River First Nation. Mr. Waboose was a father of three, with another child on the way. The Ontario Coroner’s Office was contacted and a post mortem examination was ordered.
