The three missing members of the Pelsma family have been found deceased, say RCMP.
The bodies of 39-year-old Kelly, 37-year-old Laura and 8-year-old Dylan were found by emergency workers on Dec. 26 in an area near the Alexis Bridge, off Range Road 40A, about 90 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, Alberta.
“This is a sad outcome, the loss of any life is tragic” says Cpl. Patrick Lambert – RCMP Public Information Officer. “The loss of this entire family is truly devastating over the holidays. Our thoughts are with the community and their extended family.”
Their bodies have been taken to the Edmonton Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where an autopsy will be conducted later this week.
Kelly Pelsma appeared in TV series
Kelly Pelsma lived in the Edmonton area but was originally from Wetaskiwin.
Residents in Wetaskiwin have said that Kelly Pelsma appeared on the TV series License to Drill.
Kelly Pelsma’s social media show photos of him with the caption “License to Drill.” He had posted on social media that he was returning for seasons 2, 3, and 4.
Wikipedia lists the PennWest exploration team members known as Bonanza Rig#3 from Drayton Valley and lists Kelly Pelsma as a driller.
The documentary television series was produced by the Montreal-based Pixcom for Discovery Channel Canada.
Finding the bodies of the Pelsma family
Parkland RCMP say that at about 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 25, they had responded to a report that the Pelsma family was overdue for a function and hadn’t been heard from since Dec. 23.
Emergency service personnel, Edmonton Police Air1 Helicopter, and ground Search and Rescue volunteers went to the family’s last known location in Lac Ste Anne County. They were believed to be using their UTV side-by-side.
On Dec. 26, Parkland RCMP continued search and rescue efforts in an area near the Alexis Bridge, off Range Road 40A and found the bodies of the family. Members of the Parkland RCMP, Lac Ste Anne County Fire Service, and an Underwater Recovery Team recovered their bodies.
Martin Lavoie fishes near the bridge along Alexis First Nation and when he heard about the missing family, he thought he knew where they might be.
He told media that he grabbed some spotlights, got into his truck, and headed out to find the missing family.
He checked with his neighbour who has outside cameras and they saw the footage of the family driving past the road on their ATV.
Lavoie headed to Alexis First Nation to search. He said it didn’t take long for him to discover a jerrycan on the ice. Then he saw the hole in the ice and called RCMP.
Police arrived with a helicopter and spotlight to search.
Lavoie went home and got his ice auger to drill a hole in the ice to help police search deeper.
He said the helicopter put its spotlight into the hole and that’s when they saw the license plate and black taillight of the side-by-side.
The Alberta RCMP reminds all Albertans, and outdoor enthusiasts, of the dangers of unpredictable thin ice and open water. Ice should be at least 15cm thick for a person to walk or skate on, 20cm for a group of people and 25cm for snowmobiling or using off highways vehicles on.
contact@criminalsamongus.ca
This is tragic. Rest In Peace
I’m so very sorry for the loss of such a beautiful family my deepest condolences and sympathy to all whom have lost these beautiful souls.
Prayers and condolences to the family. It’s a huge and heartbreaking loss. No words.