After an extensive search Monday, the body of Mildred Ekren, 76, was found late Monday night in waters of Shuswap Lake near the Salmon Arm Wharf.
A cause of death has not been released, but no foul play is suspected and the matter has been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.
The sad discovery was made late Monday night after an intensive day-long search by the Salmon Arm RCMP, RCMP Police service dog, Shuswap Search and Rescue (SAR) and many other volunteers, who joined the effort to find the missing senior.
John Schut, with Shuswap Search and Rescue, said after the woman’s body was spotted by a security guard, the group’s swift water rescue team was called in to recover her body from the lake.
Ekren had been last seen on Monday, Dec. 7, at around 7 a.m. at her residence in the area of 5th Street and 10th Avenue near the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds. Police were concerned for Ekren’s health and well-being as she suffered from the onset of dementia.
Shuswap Search and Rescue were then called in to assist with the search, which began at the fairgrounds and Blackburn Park and spread outward from there, including some door-to-door searching.
The RCMP thanked the public for all their assistance with the search effort.
Schut also had high praise for the SAR volunteers, many of whom spent the entire day searching, as well as the many members of the community who joined in the effort or helped out by providing food and warm drinks to the volunteers.
“It make you proud to be from Salmon Arm. People responded from all over the area, and it was neat to see random people coming to help.”
