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Couple who fell through the ice in Eastham identified
Jerry and Kit Boucher were the husband and wife who apparently fell through ice Saturday while walking their dog, authorities confirmed.
A Cape Cod woman died Saturday and her husband remains missing after the couple apparently fell through ice in Eastham and never resurfaced, police and fire officials said.
Eastham police have identified the couple as Gerard “Jerry” Boucher, 72, and Kathleen “Kit” Boucher, 71.
The Bouchers moved to Eastham full-time 18 years ago, WHDH reported. Friends who spoke with the news outlet said the couple could often be found walking their black lab along Bee’s River.
But around 9 a.m. Saturday, a call about a distressed, wet dog on the loose in the First Encounter Beach parking lot told authorities something was amiss, the Eastham police and fire departments explained in a joint statement.
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“An Eastham Officer arrived on scene and heard a woman screaming for help in the area of Bee’s River,” officials said. The woman — later identified as Kit Boucher — had fallen through the ice about 30 feet from shore.
Two police officers went onto the ice in an attempt to rescue the woman, but both fell through and were unable to save her, authorities said. Both officers were able to make it back to shore and were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation, they added.
Members of the Eastham Fire Department arrived at the shore, where crews entered the water in wetsuits designed for cold temperatures. However, the team was unable to locate the woman during an initial search, according to officials. The Barnstable County Technical Rescue Team, the Barnstable County Dive Team, and drones from the Eastham Police Department were all called in to help with the search, they said.
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Divers found Kit Boucher at about 11 a.m., and she was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. Further investigation revealed that her husband — later identified as Jerry Boucher — was also at the beach that morning walking their dog, officials said.
“It was determined that the male subject likely fell through the ice prior to the arrival of emergency personnel and did not resurface,” they said.
Emergency crews were unable to find Jerry Boucher, even after a six-hour search that included a large dive team and underwater cameras. The search was called off at 5 p.m. until the next morning due to a lack of daylight, according to the statement.
The couple’s dog was brought to members of their extended family, officials said.
In a statement obtained by WHDH, the Bouchers’ daughter said their family “is devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved parents, Kit and Jerry Boucher. We are deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of the first responders in Eastham. We are thankful for the outpouring of love, and appreciate the privacy and discretion the community is extending to our family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Members of the Eastham fire and police departments returned to the scene Sunday morning to continue their search, aided by a police drone, Eastham police said in an update. However, the hours-long effort yielded no results.
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Search efforts continued Tuesday, and Eastham police reported that “ice conditions were favorable early in the day and allowed divers to enter the water and conduct a broad search of Bee’s River.” As the incoming tide returned large amounts of ice to the river, however, authorities deemed the ongoing water search ineffective.
“Ice conditions will continue to be monitored, and additional water searches may occur in the coming days,” Eastham police said Tuesday, adding that first responders “continue to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims.”
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