The search for Daniel Crossley has ended tragically as an RCMP dive team recovered his body this morning.
The 18-year-old man west missing on April 23 from his home and as a search ensued, no signs of him were reported and he made no contact with his family.
Crossley’s family learned Wednesday a body was spotted in Slocan Lake near the Springer Creek Forest Products mill by the mill manager. They shared their sorrow on the Facebook page dedicated to finding him.
"Daniel is more precious to us than any words can express," they wrote. "We will always cherish the time we had with him here on earth and with great eagerness await a future reunion. He has our love now and always. We love you, Daniel."
A police dive team arrived late Wednesday from the Okanagan but was unable to recover the body until 9:30 this morning.
The BC Coroners service will do an autopsy to determine the exact cause of his death, but RCMP Sgt. Darryl Little said foul play is not suspected.
Little told 103.5 The Bridge he couldn't comment on how Crossley might have ended up in the lake. "We're still in the preliminary investigative stages," he said.
He added Crossley was found in 10 to 12 feet (three to four meters) of water at the end of a dock in the log sort area. Little said it would have been too dangerous for anyone other than trained divers to recover the body because of debris in the water.
"We would like to thank the public for the tips we received," he said. "We wished it could have been a different ending. It is certainly a tragedy."