Manitoba parents say brothers were ‘faithful and kind,’ as search continues for missing boy

In a letter read by police on the shoreline of Nutimik Lake on Thursday, the parents of Maximo and Aaron Au Ramirez said their boys were “faithful and kind,” and described their own pain as “unimaginable.”

Maximo, 10, and Aaron, 13, were swept away by the fast-moving waters of Nutimik Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday.

Mounties have said Maximo slipped on the rocks and fell into the water, and Aaron is believed to have gone in after him.

Maximo’s body was recovered on Wednesday evening. The search continues for Aaron; crews say they’re determined to bring him home to his family.

“Please keep our sons, who were always faithful and kind, in your thoughts and in your prayers,” said the boys’ parents Haidee Ramirez and Roger Au in the letter read by Lac Du Bonnet RCMP Staff Sgt. Cory Meyers.

“We’re going through a terrible, horrible, and unimaginable pain for our children. What we’ve gone through is not humanly possible to understand.”

The parents say they are pushing through only with the support of those around them.

“We have so much gratitude for the people who are helping,” they said. “This help is so overwhelming. It’s hard to understand how a community can be so strong for us and help us so much. The support for everyone is truly what is sustaining our family.

“We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”

Maximo’s body — spotted by people on a boat — was found about 300 yards downstream from Sturgeon Falls, some 100 yards from shore, police say. The Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) then headed out with the father to identify him.

“It was special that his dad was there and was able to help with that, help him with the healing, I think,” said HEART Coordinator Paul Maendel. “And then bringing him back and letting them do what they need to do as a family and help them in the healing process.”

Meyers says the location where Maximo was found will inform part of Thursday’s search for Aaron — the sixth day divers, drones and volunteers are at work.

“We’re gonna search that area very hard there,” the RCMP sergeant said. “But you know, we got a lot of volunteers here today, so we cover a lot of ground. Nothing truly in the lake is out of bounds for us.”

Meyers said some volunteer 20 boats were on the water Thursday, as well as police drones.

“The more eyes on the water, the more people that we have, it really does help our our search efforts,” he said.

RCMP previously said they had found clothing as part of their search. On Thursday, Meyers said investigators believe that clothing belonged to Aaron.

“Now that we have one, we certainly have renewed hope,” Maendel said. “And it’s still divine intervention. God brings them up in his time. And so, this is what will most likely happen again.”

Volunteers are searching alongside police and specialized teams, while others prepare meals, organize donations and support the family at Nutimik Lodge. A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $65,000.

“The fight is still on,” said Allison Baker-Thiessen, the owner of Nutimik Lodge. “We call out to the community. We want everybody there helping, supporting in different angles, whether it’s jumping on boats, whether it’s bringing your own boat. We need lots of eyes out on there to help the family bring him home.”

–With files from Mitchell Ringos