Remains believed to be final missing victim of historic N.S. floods found
A body believed to be that of a youth who went missing near Brooklyn, N.S., has been found, some 75 kilometres from where the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away during last month's historic flooding.
The RCMP said the remains were discovered on Tuesday morning by a person walking their dog along the shoreline of Advocate Harbour, located across the Minas Basin on the Bay of Fundy.
RCMP Supt. Sean Auld told a news conference Wednesday that police are working with the Medical Examiner's Office to identify the remains.
"I can't imagine the loss and pain that the youth's family has felt," said Auld. "No words can describe the sympathy that we feel for each of the families who've been so deeply affected by the floods."
Four people, including a man, two children and a youth went missing on July 22 after their vehicles became submerged in floods in the Brooklyn area of West Hants Regional Municipality.
Last week, search teams recovered the bodies of the man and two children, who have been identified as Nicholas Holland, 52, and Natalie Harnish and Colton Sisco, both six years old.
Six-year-old Colton Sisco, left, six-year-old Natalie Harnish, centre, and Nick Holland, 52, died during the floods that devastated parts of Nova Scotia on July 21 and 22, 2023. (Arbor Memorial/Ronald A. Walker Funeral Homes)
The RCMP have said the two children had been travelling in a truck with adults, and a second vehicle was carrying the adult and youth. Police believe the victims were trying to flee the area at the time.
West Hants Regional Municipality Mayor Abraham Zebian said it was both a sad and happy day: Sad because of the loss of four community members, but happy because the final victim is "back home."
"They are where they should be. They are with their families now," said an emotional Zebian.
"As you see their pictures online and in memorials, remember their faces. Each and every single one of them was an independent individual who was part of our knit, part of our fabric, and will always be part of us.
"The whole community has become your family."
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On Monday, the search for the missing youth was temporarily suspended to allow the remaining water in the search area to drain.
RCMP Sgt. Rob Frizzell said the remains were located about 75 kilometres from where the youth went missing. But the remains likely travelled closer to 100 kilometres as they were carried along tributaries and rivers.
"The sheer volume of water and the sheer force of that water coming through ... it's never happened before around here, but it just pushed objects, whether that be vehicles or trees or deceased persons, quite a distance," he said.
Premier Tim Houston thanked all the first responders for their efforts in locating the missing people and during the historic rainfall, which dropped upwards of 250 millimetres on parts of the province in less than 24 hours.
WATCH: Why the Nova Scotia floods were so catastrophic
"We'll never know many lives you saved, people that were stranded that you rescued and other crises that you averted," said Houston.
"My sincere condolences to the families of the four lost souls. You'll be forever held in our hearts and the very sad legacy of these of these floods."
A provincewide state of emergency was declared following the flooding on July 21 and 22, with West Hants, East Hants, the Halifax Regional Municipality, Lunenburg County and Queens County among the hardest hit areas.
This article was originally written by Aly Thomson and published for CBC News.
