Official search ends but Luke Cooper's family to keep looking after presumed drowning

RCMP divers have left the North West River area, ending their official search for a man presumed to have drowned in the river on the weekend, but family and friends of Luke Cooper plan to continue to look for his body.

Cooper, 43, is believed to be dead after his canoe capsized in the North West River early Sunday. A woman in the canoe with him made it to shore but Cooper remains unaccounted for.

His canoe was found swamped several kilometres north-northeast of the town, a few kilometres off Green Island.

The search had been called off Tuesday night, Cooper's niece Jeanien Cooper told the Labrador Morning Show Wednesday, but resumed when a promising lead was found. But after searching again Wednesday morning, they had determined the lead was just a submerged log.

"Not having any more conclusive information or any other promising leads they decided that they've exhausted their resources and they called off the search," Cooper said.

The divers did an outstanding job, she said, surpassing her family's expectations.

"They did definitely give it their best go."

'Time to take it into our own hands'

The departure of the RCMP divers won't be the end of the search for her uncle's body, Cooper said.

"We've decided that it's time to take it into our own hands, and to assemble the communities and whoever wants to come out and support it with whatever resources they have."

A community meeting was held Wednesday evening in North West River to develop a search plan, Cooper said, and a shorter search was conducted in the evening.

"We have a lot of people who are on edge. They want to get out there and they want to help out."

Longer term, the family plans to use photos of the areas covered by the official search to look elsewhere, starting with where Luke Cooper's canoe was found. Additionally, Cooper's brother made a dummy to mimic a body's size and weight, and tracked where currents and tides carried it — that information will also inform the search, she said.

Some of the search and rescue volunteers said they would likely come help search again on Saturday, she said, when the body may be more likely to have floated toward the surface.

"The more people we have, the more area we can cover," Cooper said.

"So any and all help would be greatly appreciated."

Community support has kept them going

Wednesday morning's false lead wasn't the first one to come up in the search, and the process has been hard on the family, she said.

"It has definitely been challenging, physically and emotionally. We're all exhausted."

But the community's support — from people giving their time or lending their boats, to bringing by food or coffee, or just coming to chat and check in — has helped them stay hopeful and continue searching.

"It's like when you go out fishing and you get a little bite," Cooper said.

"That keeps you going that much longer."

Her uncle was not only family to her, she said, but to the entire community — someone who treated others well and would help out when needed.

"He's not only my uncle. This man is everybody's brother, he's everybody's uncle, he's everybody's son, he's everybody's buddy," she said.

"He needs to be brought home to his family."

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador