A body found May 3 off Protection Island in Nanaimo harbour has been identified as a man reported missing and presumed drowned after an incident on a sailboat in Commercial Bay, between Newcastle and Protection, on April 11.
Kent Schroeder’s body was found after Nanaimo RCMP responded to a call from a resident.
Witnesses reported seeing a woman falling in the water about 8:40 p.m. April 11, after 45 minutes of “a heated discussion” between a man and a woman.
A Nanaimo Port Authority vessel took police to the scene, where the woman was found hanging onto the sailboat by a rope.
Officers pulled her out. Police said she was extremely hypothermic and severely intoxicated.
A search for the man, who was also reported to be in the water, ensued with a helicopter and a coast guard hovercraft, along with an extensive search along the shore. He was reported missing and presumed drowned.
The woman, 58, and 59-year-old Schroeder lived on the sailboat together.
Police continue to investigate and are asking anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious around the harbour on the evening of April 11 to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
