(Image credit: Chad Klassen/CFJC Today).

By Michael Reeve

Body Recovery

Body recovered from Thompson River; RCMP and Coroners Service identifying the deceased

Aug 11, 2022 | 11:35 AM

KAMLOOPS — UPDATE: Late Thursday afternoon, RCMP confirmed the body has been identified as belonging to the man who drowned while saving his son from the Thompson River near McArthur Island on July 30.

He is Dr. Michael Mthandazo of Vernon. Mthandazo’s family has been notified of the finding.

RCMP say Mthandazo’s death is not considered criminal in nature.

EARLIER: Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) and Kamloops RCMP were called out to Aviation Way early Thursday (Aug. 11) morning for a body recovery.

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In response, KFR launched their boat to help bring the body on to the shore where RCMP and the BC Coroners Service were waiting. The body was removed from the water and taken away by the coroner after investigative steps were taken.

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn confirms the call came in at around 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

“Police were contacted in regard to a body that was caught up in some logs near the river — the sea-dock that we’re at,” Evelyn says. “Right now, we are working with the coroner on establishing the identification of the person and then working to contact their family and update them on the situation. It’s never good to speculate on this because you don’t want to create any false hopes — or the opposite, any despair. Whoever it is, is somebody’s family member and we just want to make sure that we get the news to them first.”

While there is speculation regarding the identification of the deceased, no further information was available Thursday morning.

More to come.