The air and water search for the Tsawwassen man who went missing after setting out to check on his crab traps has been called off.
The search began Tuesday afternoon after 43-year-old Cory Fergus was reported missing. He was last seen at around 5:30 p.m. Monday when he left his girlfriend's house in Ladner saying he was heading out to check on his crab traps.
Simone Still said the crabs were supposed to be for her son's birthday dinner that night.
She said she waited until 11 p.m. for Fergus to come back. She began to worry but thought maybe he had got cold and gone home. The next day, she said, she went to his apartment and called local hospitals in an effort to locate him. Still said she thought she had to wait 24 hours before calling police to report a missing person.
A search was launched after the report came in at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Canadian Coast Guard's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre launched a full-scale air and water search, with rescue vessels, planes and helicopters searching the waters around Boundary Bay.
However, the centre called off its search about 24 hours later based on the amount of time Fergus had been missing and the temperature of the water.
Fergus' boat was also found Wednesday 6.5 kilometres south of Point Roberts. A coast guard spokesperson said the boat, a white, two-person canoe, was almost fully submerged, with only the bow showing above water.
The investigation has now been turned over to Delta police.
On Thursday, S/Sgt. Harj Sidhu said the department's missing persons unit had taken over the investigation and called in Surrey Search and Rescue, which began scouring shorelines in the area.
"We're doing more of a recovery mission at this point," he said.
Sidhu confirmed there is no evidence to suggest the disappearance is suspicious or that Fergus is suffering from mental health or emotional issues.
"At this point, everything points to an unfortunate accident."
Still said Thursday that Fergus was like a father to her four children, and he had two of his own.
"He's a very, very sweet, good person," she said. "He deserves to be honoured in a good way."
