Overview
- The two relatives launched from North Hero at about 2:30 p.m. and their canoe overturned near Knight Island State Park, where they became separated despite wearing flotation devices.
- Survivor Paul Council said he spent roughly an hour in the water before reaching Knight Island, where he sheltered overnight with no way to call for help.
- Council located a second canoe the next morning, returned to North Hero, and alerted authorities, prompting a multi-agency search.
- Around noon, a resident reported a body floating near Holiday Point Road about two miles north of the capsize site; recovery followed, with identification pending an autopsy by the chief medical examiner.
- The deceased’s name is being withheld pending family notification, and the response included Vermont State Police, local fire departments, the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department, and Vermont Fish & Wildlife.