Sonar expert assists West Kelowna RCMP, body pulled from Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA – A yet to be identified body has been pulled from Okanagan Lake with the help of a sonar expert from the U.S.

A West‎ Kelowna RCMP boat team Aug. 10 just before 9 a.m., carried out the recovery of a body from the waters of Okanagan Lake with the assistance of a sonar ‎expert, who traveled to the Central Okanagan from Idaho, Utah.

The deceased was located at a depth of 170 feet of water, approximately half a kilometer from the shores of Kelowna's Gyro Beach.

West Kelowna RCMP are now working alongside the BC Coroners Service to positively identify the ‎deceased individual. Once an identification is made, police will then turn their focus on properly notifying the deceased's family.

"We'd like to thank Mr. Ralston for his invaluable assistance with this challenging recovery," said Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey of the RCMP, in a press release. "We'd also like to extend our appreciation to Dockside Marina and Shoreline Pile Driving for their‎ support of our operations on the lake."

In May, 71-year-old Zygmunt Janiewicz went missing while kayaking on Okanagan Lake. His family started a GoFundMe account to help raise the funds needed for a deep water search. It's unclear whether the sonar operator was here for that search.

No further information is being released by RCMP at this time. Updates will be provided as they become available.

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