Police call off search for missing Manitoba snowmobiler, believe he fell through ice

Police have called off the search forasnowmobilerinWhiteshell Provincial Park, who they now believe fell through the ice.

A search and rescue team combed through hundreds of kilometres in southeastern Manitoba provincial park looking for Dan LeMay,50, who had been missing without food or watersince Sunday night.

The search was called off late Tuesday afternoon, when RCMPfoundsnowmobile tracksleading to a hole in the ice onEleanor Lake.

"We strongly believe at this point that the snow machine entered the water and didn't resurface," RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigresaid on Tuesday evening.

"The area we've covered is extensive," Manaigre said."We couldn't locate anything possibly related to where LeMay could be, so we have to assume at this point that at this point he's entered the water."

RCMP won't be able to dive to search for his remains until spring because the currents are too dangerous for dive teams.

RCMP believe LeMay, who is from Grunthal, Man., left the Pinewood Lodge around 4 p.m.on Sundayto retrieve a broken snowmobile that was left in the town of Rennie, just west of the provincial park. They previously said they believed heran out ofgas somewhere on the nearly 40-kilometre stretch.

LeMay's family are asking for privacy at this time, but his brother Wayne posted a statement on social media.

"While nothing is yet confirmed, the outcome seems inevitable," the statement said.

"We thank everyone for their heartfelt support, love and generosity. We don't really know what are next steps are, but thank you for walking through this with us."

WATCH | RCMP call off search for Dan LeMay:

Police call off search for missing snowmobiler

4 years ago

Duration 1:25

A search and rescue team combed through hundreds of kilometres in southeastern Manitoba provincial park looking for Dan LeMay, 50, who had been missing without food or water since Sunday night.

Earlier in the day, RCMP, along with dozens of volunteers,covered hundreds of square kilometres on land and in the air searching forany trace of the lost snowmobiler.

"Itseems like all the areas that we can think of have been covered and for some reason there's still no sign of anything," volunteerAdam Hermann, who said he camps or rents a cottage in the area for much of the year, said earlier Tuesday.

Hewasone of the volunteerswho were sent out by policewith GPS units tocarefully search trails for any sign of LeMay.

A helicopter equipped with thermal imaging surveyed parts of the 2,700-square-kilometreprovincial park,about 120 kilometres east of Winnipeg along the Ontario border, for several hours on Tuesday morning before the search was called off.