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Robert F. Kennedy's Granddaughter Maeve McKean, Her Young Son Missing On Chesapeake Bay

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (CBS) -- The granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and her young son are missing after being seen in a canoe off Chesapeake Bay, a Kennedy family spokesman confirmed to CBS Baltimore. Maeve Kennedy McKean, 41, and her 8-year-old son Gideon were last spotted several miles off shore on Thursday afternoon.

Kennedy McKean is the daughter of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. In a statement Friday night, Kennedy Townsend said the search has turned from rescue to recovery.

"My heart is crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world," Kennedy Townsend said. "My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss."

Kennedy McKean is the executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative in Washington D.C. where the family resides. She married her husband David in 2009 and they have three other children.

Maryland officials said the pair were reported missing around 4:49 p.m. Thursday near Herring Bay in Shady Side. According to officials, they had paddled out to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore.

Watchstanders with the Coast Guard got word from the Maryland State Police that two people were seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe and they were not seen again. A man had called 911 from the Columbia Beach community pier where he saw the boaters drifting in the Bay.

At approximately 7:00 p.m., an overturned canoe, matching the approximate description of the one which the pair were in, and a paddle was located near Deale, Maryland, according to Anne Arundel County Fire.

Weather conditions were windy, but sunny Thursday in Maryland.

The search ended for the night around 7:30 p.m. Thursday and began again Friday morning.

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