The body of 24-year old William Exner was found yesterday floating in the waters of False Creek in downtown Vancouver, 11 days after he disappeared on his way home after an evening with friends.
"This tragic discovery brings a sad end to the search conducted by family and friends of Will, as well as many other good people who volunteered their time to help," his family stated in a release distributed to the media.
"Now the family needs to grieve the loss of Will in private," they stated after thanking those who had participated in the emotional search.
They made a special appeal to the media to leave them alone as the family "comes to terms with a deep personal tragedy."
Vancouver police were called to a marina on the north side of False Creek early yesterday afternoon after a boater discovered a body floating between a boat and the dock.
The marina is located about 100 metres east of the Granville Street Bridge.
An autopsy will determine the cause of death.
A recent engineering graduate from the University of British Columbia, Mr. Exner was the great-nephew of retired Vancouver archbishop Adam Exner and was engaged to Sarah Georgetti, daughter of Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti.
Mr. Exner's disappearance sparked one of the largest searches for a missing person in the city's history.
Friends and family put up about 3,000 posters of the missing man in the days after he disappeared. About 500 volunteers joined with police and the North Shore Search and Rescue Society to hunt for clues in Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, the University of British Columbia's wooded endowment lands, along the waterfront and throughout downtown streets.
Mr. Exner was last seen about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, walking toward the Granville Street Bridge after spending the previous evening with three friends. They had been to a B.C. Lions football game and then went for drinks at the Penthouse, a downtown pub. When they were finished, Mr. Exner chose to walk the few kilometres to the apartment he shared with Ms. Georgetti rather than hop in a cab with his friends. He would have had to cross the bridge to reach his home.
He had returned to Vancouver this fall from two months in India. Mr. Exner was acting completely normally, his brother, Iain Exner, said earlier this week. Mr. Exner's clothes had even been picked out for a job interview slated for the Monday after his disappearance.
Throughout the days of searching, the family remained optimistic that Mr. Exner would be found. Neither his bank card nor his charge card had been used after he disappeared. But when the family officially announced on Sunday that the search was being called off, they appealed to Mr. Exner, if he were alive, to let them know.