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Eight-year-old boy who drowned is identified

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Police have identified the young boy who drowned off Turkey Point this weekend.

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Norfolk OPP report the victim was Mustapha Adam, 8, of Toronto.

Adam’s body was located Sunday afternoon about 200 metres off the beach at Turkey Point. Authorities had been searching for the missing boy since receiving a report Saturday around 5:30 p.m. that he was missing.

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“The OPP would like to take this opportunity to say `Thank you’ to witnesses that provided information to the investigating officers and to everyone in the Turkey Point community that offered their assistance to the family while dealing with this tragedy,” Acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk of the Norfolk OPP said Monday in a news release.

When last seen, Adam was on a floating raft in Long Point Bay off the shore of Turkey Point. He reportedly abandoned the raft and attempted to swim to shore. His family contacted emergency services when he failed to make it to shore.

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Among those responding to the emergency were members of the Norfolk OPP, OPP aviation services, the Norfolk County Fire Department, Norfolk paramedics, and the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton.

Locating the missing boy’s body Sunday were members of the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit in partnership with the OPP Marine Unit.

OPP were notified that the boy had gone missing at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Upon arrival, police learned the boy had left a floating device that he was on just off Cedar Drive and attempted to swim to shore.

Family members contacted police when they were unable to find their son, Sanchuk said.

Rescue efforts began Saturday evening and continued overnight into Sunday when the OPP’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit arrived.

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A Brantford man, who saw the search efforts, called it a massive operation.

“There were a lot of boats in the water, a couple of helicopters and they also used a drone,” Justin Simon said. “There were flares over the lake all night as they continued to search.

“It has been pretty incredible.”

Simon and his girlfriend Kerry Gordon of Waterloo were on the water just off of Pottahawk Island on Saturday afternoon when they heard a message about someone missing.

“It’s a eerie feeling,” Simon said. “Everyone down here loves the water and loves being on it but when something like this happens it reminds you of the dangers.”

Simon and Gordon were at the Turkey Point marina on Sunday morning when the OPP’s underwater search and recovery unit arrived.

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