A family trip in rural Alberta just before Christmas turned into tragedy when the three occupants of an all-terrain vehicle sank in a freezing lake before being found thanks to a citizen's hunch.
Kelly Pelsma, 39; His wife, Laura Pelsma, 37, and their son, Dylan, 8, were on an adventure in their side-by-side vehicle on Dec. 23 when they arrived in Lac Ste. County disappeared. Anne, about an hour west of Edmonton.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) finally announced that they had found the Pelsmas' bodies on Christmas Day after an intensive search, particularly using a helicopter.
Everything indicates that the family ventured onto a lake whose ice thickness was insufficient to support the weight of the ATV.
“It is a sad result. The loss of a human life is tragic. The loss of an entire family during the holidays is truly devastating. Our thoughts are with the community and the rest of the family,” commented RCMP spokesman Patrick Lambert, as quoted by Global News.
Found by a fisherman
The RCMP admitted they were able to locate the missing family thanks to the help of a citizen.
Martin Lavoie, a fisherman who knows the area well, told the Edmonton Journal how a hunch allowed him to find the Pelsma after learning of her disappearance.
“I said to my wife, I think I know exactly where they are. I got in my truck, brought a few projectors and went where I thought they were,” he said.
The man first stopped at a friend's house nearby who had outdoor cameras. When he looked at the pictures of the Pelsma family driving by on an ATV, his suspicions were confirmed and convinced him to go where he thought he would find the family.
“The first thing I saw was a can on the ice. I stopped my truck and made my way onto the ice. I stopped about 50 feet from the hole in the ice and immediately called the RCMP,” Mr. Lavoie told the Edmonton Journal.
The citizen also supported the investigators afterwards, in particular by bringing them a drill for ice fishing.
“I am a father of two children, so this means a lot to me. It is Christmas time. I had to try to find her,” Martin Lavoie told the daily.