Waterloo region family mourns nine-year-old who died on camping trip
A family that recently moved from Waterloo Region is remembering the life of their nine-year-old boy after the search for him came to a tragic end.
Everett Freeman is being remembered as a beautiful soul with a shy and sweet demeanour as well as a certain kind of silliness he only shared with a lucky few.
"Everett was such an amazing kid," said Korey Freeman, Everett's dad. "He was one in a million."
Korey says their family of five are from Waterloo Region and moved to Seguin Township in Parry Sound about a month ago. Part of the reasoning for the move was to give their kids a chance to explore the outdoors.
"Everybody loved him and he loved life," said Korey. "He loved to laugh, he was just so full of fun, he was so fun to hang out with, and we're just going to miss him so much."
Everett was reported missing on Friday afternoon during a family camping trip on Huckleberry Island in Georgian Bay.
"The kids were playing hide and seek," said Korey. "Everett was playing with some of his younger cousins and the game kind of petered out and he wandered off."
When they couldn't find him, Ontario Provincial Police were called in, and a massive search effort began.
"The search was really overwhelming," said Korey. "I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved. It was so many people. It was unbelievable. They pulled out all the stops, a helicopter in the sky, people searching through the night."
On Saturday night, Everett's body was found.
"The dive team was brought in to search the water and they found him close to those rocks he would avoid," said Korey. "It seemed like he must have slipped and fell in."
Police do not suspect any foul play.
Korey says Everett loved camping and was a careful kid, but couldn't swim. The family is currently waiting for an autopsy report.
"His sister is really feeling it," said Korey. "They were so close. She's lost her big brother and her best friend, but she's being so brave and doing the best she can."
Everett previously attended Cedarbrae Public School in Waterloo.
The Waterloo Region District School Board says it normally offers mental health support for students and staff in these circumstances, but summer break may impact this.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.