Just because the water searches have ceased for now, that doesn’t necessarily mean Maggie’s remains won’t be found before the ice melts if she’s in the river or in the densely wooded area surrounding the riverbanks. When the Assiniboine and Red Rivers are frozen solid, there is a lot of recreational activity on it. Lots of people snowmobile, ski, skate, play hockey and other types of team sports so there is a good chance someone may spot her body if it’s in this area. Because she might not have had her shoes on when she disappeared, she likely didn’t walk very far from her home in River Heights. When a person dies in a river, their body normally sinks to the bottom and resurfaces after several days, as long as it doesn’t get caught on something below the surface.
Lisa Gibson and Jill Tardiff, who were suffering with a mental illness, drowned themselves in the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. Lisa died in July 2014 and Jill Tardiff died in September 2015. After several days, both of their bodies were recovered, however, the first water search for Jill Tardif was unsuccessful probably because it hadn’t yet resurfaced.
Jeffrey Boucher, a teacher in Whitby, Ontario went missing on Jan. 13, 2015 while he was out for his morning run. A robotic underwater camera on loan from the Toronto police was used by Durham Regional Police in February to search the water along the Whitby waterfront but it found no sign of Boucher. However, on Saturday, March 13, 2014, police confirmed a body was found by the Lake Ontario shoreline that they believed was that of the 52-year-old Boucher. A passerby located the body around 2:20 p.m.
If Maggie drowned in the water and resurfaced, the ice will likely form around her body making it visible to those who access the river over the winter. Her thick black hair will create a sharp contrast against the white snow. For this reason,
it is important that the news stations in Winnipeg let their viewers know she is missing until she is found.
