A man was seen at about 3:20 p.m. Friday by officers in a police helicopter on a river just over a mile from his residence.
A missing man from Springwater Township has been found dead.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said Saturday morning that Harvey Doherty, 87, was seen at about 3:20 a.m. Friday by officers in a police helicopter on a river, shortly after. more than a mile from his residence.
Members of the OPP’s emergency response team then found Doherty dead.
Acting Sergeant Terri-Ann Pencarinha, the OPP’s central media relations coordinator, said Saturday morning that police had not determined the cause of death and were unsure whether a autopsy.
Pencarinha was asked if he suspected foul play.
“No, I didn’t hear that,” he said.
Doherty was last seen on Thursday, May 26, shortly before 4 p.m., when he took his two dogs for a walk on the paths behind his residence. The trail system is located in the County Road 27 area, north of Highway 26 in Midhurst.
Police said Doherty did not have his wallet with him and had left his cell phone at home.
Doherty’s two dogs had returned home before being found Friday afternoon.
The OPP says agents exhausted all efforts and resources to locate Doherty. Specialized OPP units, such as the emergency response team, police dogs and the aviation unit, assisted in the search.
Officers began the search Thursday afternoon and into the evening, and continued the search on Friday morning and afternoon. Several volunteers from Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue also attended.
An OPP command post was established at the Simcoe County Museum in Midhurst.