The riverbanks were lined with police on Sunday afternoon, investigative eyes scanning the water for a mystery object that may have been a body.
It may not have been, but it was described by witnesses as an item like a sleeping bag tied off at the end, floating in the Nechako current.
"These things do happen, probably three to four times a year, but nothing in this case was conclusive or indicated for sure what this was," said Prince George RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Craig Douglass. "We ere on the side of caution and do everything we can to determine what, if anything, it is."
The item in the river was spotted on Sunday at about 3:30 p.m. by witnesses at the Cameron Street Bridge over the Nechako River. The current is strong and the water still cold, plus there was little distance to the confluence of the Fraser River where any floating object would be caught up in an even greater draught.
Multiple members attended to check both the Nechako and Fraser for the floating mystery. One Mountie flagged down a passing speedboat and "the boaters were willing to help, we really have to say a big thank you," said Douglass so the search also took to the water.
Whether flotsam or jetsam or something more ominous, the object of interest was not discovered. Police in Quesnel, the next downstream RCMP detachment, were alerted but nothing connected to this issue has come to the surface either there or closer to Prince George.
If anyone has any information about the item in the water, please call Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously leave a message with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS / www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
