Man’s body recovered from St. Croix River after he tried to flee patrol officers: N.B. RCMP

New Brunswick police recovered the body of a man who fled from them in the St. Croix River.

The body of a man has been recovered from the St. Croix River between St. Stephen, N.B., and Calais, Maine.

An RCMP Underwater Recovery Team recovered the body of 41-year-old Mckay Thomas on Sunday, close to where police say they saw a man enter the water on Saturday. A statement from RCMP says the man was trying to flee from officers on patrol in downtown St. Stephen.

The family of Mckay Thomas say they’re concerned about RCMP protocols surrounding how the incident unfolded.

“Mckay was well known to police, unfortunately,” says Caldwell, a cousin of Thomas. “The family has questions about the safety of chasing Mckay in such close proximity to the river.”

Caldwell says Thomas suffered from drug addictions, adding there were several direct attempts over the years from family to police, the courts, and social development to get him help.

In a statement, the RCMP says members on patrol along Milltown Boulevard on Saturday afternoon “observed a man wanted on unendorsed warrants,” which require an individual to be taken into custody and brought to court.

“As police approached the man, he fled and he was last seen entering the St. Croix River near King Street and Budd Avenue in St. Stephen, and began swimming toward the U.S. border,” says the RCMP statement. “While in mid-river, the individual appeared to struggle and then went underwater and did not resurface.”

The Mounties say multiple agencies were dispatched Saturday for the search and rescue operation, including U.S. Border Patrol, the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the local fire departments in St. Stephen and Calais.

Caldwell says several eyewitnesses have told the family Thomas was in the river for several minutes near a white buoy before going underwater.

“He clung to a buoy for 10 to 15 minutes in the water,” says Caldwell. “The family feels if they were notified promptly, they could’ve talked him into shore and saved his life. Instead, our family wasn’t notified for over five hours.”

Caldwell says the family is also upset that their request for Thomas’ body to be taken inside immediately after being recovered from the river was denied.

“We had to stand outside with Mckay’s body, right here, for over two and a half hours,” says Caldwell, pointing to a parking lot near the river. “There’s just no dignity for us, or for him, and it was heartbreaking.”

The RCMP says it has asked the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) to review the case, calling it “standard practice.” The RCMP has not released details about the unendorsed warrants in question.

“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the deceased during this difficult time,” says the RCMP statement. “The RCMP extends its appreciation to all partner agencies and volunteers who assisted in this operation.”

In a statement, SiRT confirms the police watchdog agency was contacted by RCMP on Saturday about the incident.

“If SiRT finds this fits its mandate and takes over the investigation, we will issue a news release updating the public,” says the SiRT statement.

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