Search continues for brothers feared drowned at Nutimik Lake

Search-and-rescue crews continued efforts Monday to locate two boys who are presumed drowned after falling into fast-moving rapids at Nutimik Lake on the weekend, as community members and Manitoba Parks begin conversations about preventing future tragedies.

The boys, identified as brothers Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, and Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, were visiting Whiteshell Provincial Park with their father and some friends when they entered the water near the Sturgeon Falls Trail Saturday afternoon.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP received a report of a possible drowning at about 12:40 p.m. Police, along with local emergency responders, searched the shoreline and waterways but were unable to find the boys, RCMP said in a news release.

The Manitoba RCMP Underwater Recovery Team and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team were later deployed to assist with the search.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Cory Meyers said Monday crews were continuing to use sonar technology to search the bottom of the waterway, while a drone was deployed to search the shoreline for any clues.

“Currently, we have two boats in the water here between our friends from HEART and the RCMP,” Meyers said. “They’re continuing to run sonar along the floor of the waterway here, going in different directions, trying to get a better grid and a better view of the bottom.”

Meyers said crews planned to continue searching through the evening before reassessing their efforts.

Allison Baker-Thiessen, who owns Nutimik Lodge with her husband, Harry Thiessen, said the lodge was contacted by Manitoba Parks and asked to get a boat onto the water after the incident.

“My husband was one of the first boats, minus the people that were out there that witnessed it, and people that were already out doing their daily activities on the waterway,” she said.

Baker-Thiessen said about 25 boats were on the water Saturday helping with the search. One boater attempted to rescue the boys, but was unsuccessful, she said.

The community has since rallied around the family, with Nutimik Lodge providing accommodations and support while the search continues.

“We have taken the family in, and they are staying with us as long as they need to,” Baker-Thiessen said.

She said the Kevin Howie Foundation, an organization created to support families affected by drowning tragedies, has also stepped in to help provide meals, supplies and other support. The foundation is named after a 28-year-old man who drowned in a boating accident at Nutimik in 2005.

A GoFundMe organized by Nutimik Lodge had raised nearly $18,000 by Monday evening.

Baker-Thiessen said the funds are intended to help the family with costs for funeral expenses, travel for relatives coming from British Columbia and Mexico and future supports, such as counselling.

“This is something that they’re going to have to live with for the rest of their life,” she said. “They do have a four-year-old child that they still have to care for amongst all of this and be strong for.”

Located about 135 kilometres east of Winnipeg near the Manitoba-Ontario border, Sturgeon Falls is a stretch of rapids connecting Nutimik and Numao lakes along the Winnipeg River.

The falls can be accessed through a 4.5-kilometre trail from the Nutimik campground that crosses a suspension bridge.

Baker-Thiessen described the area as having powerful currents, slippery rocks and unpredictable water conditions.

She said the lodge regularly warns visitors about staying away from the water’s edge, especially with children.

A 38-year-old woman drowned at the same location in June 2025, while a 12-year-old boy drowned there in May 2023.

Baker-Thiessen said Manitoba Parks has reached out to discuss improving safety in the area once the search concludes.

“Unfortunately, it’s taken a few lives to realize this, but it is being heard,” she said.

Baker-Thiessen said physical barriers, like a fence, would help prevent visitors from getting too close to the water.

“We don’t want to necessarily shut the trail down,” Baker-Thiessen said. “It’s a beautiful trail. We want there to be no access to the waterways whatsoever once you’re up there. We want you behind something so you cannot get over it, so people can’t even jump a rope or things like that.”

Don Binda, president of the Whiteshell Cottagers Association — a non-profit group representing more than 3,300 cottage owners across 12 lake regions in Whiteshell Provincial Park — said the organization regularly communicates with Manitoba Parks on issues affecting the park, including trails, roads and waterways.

Binda said he doesn’t want discussions about the site to centre on what could or should have been done in the past, but rather on what can be done to improve safety moving forward.

“I don’t think today is the day to be saying, ‘Oh, we should have done something years ago,’” Binda said. “For the sake of the family and everybody, I wish we would have, but unfortunately that time has passed.”

“I think it’s important that we work on a go-forward basis and look at the issues and really try to work together with different stakeholders to try and make the park a safer place.”

In a statement, the province said Manitoba Parks is reviewing safety measures at Sturgeon Falls, noting there are already warning signs and cautions in the area about slippery or hidden rocks, strong currents and steep drop-offs.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca