Behchoko grappling with death of young community member

The uncle of a 21-year-old man whose body was found in Marian Lake, near Behchoko, N.W.T., last week says people are having a hard time grappling with the young man's death.

"We didn't [think] he drowned. We thought he was still alive," said Rene Camsell, who was part of the search and rescue team that went looking for Jermaine Camsell after he was reported missing on July 29.

Jermaine was last seen on the evening of July 28. There was an air, water and ground search for the young man, however, RCMP later issued a statement saying his body had been found around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 1.

Rene said he remembers his nephew as an athlete who loved handgames, soccer and volleyball.

"We lost a young guy, 21 years old, really young, so everybody is ... tired," said Rene. "Everybody's thinking about [themselves], they're thinking about their kids now."

Questions surrounding young man's death

An autopsy has been ordered for Jermaine, but there are still unanswered questions about what happened the night he went missing.

"We don't know how he died. We know ... he drowned," said Rene, who said he was told Jermaine was out on a kayak the night he was last seen.

RCMP previously said Jermaine was believed to have accessed two kayaks on the evening of July 28, but the kayaks were recovered without any signs of Jermaine in that vicinity.

The uncle said he remembers the weather was not good around 4 p.m. that day, and that it was windy.

"Next thing you know, about 24 hours later, I got a call saying Jermaine's not around," said Rene. "He went boating with [a] kayak and we don't know where he went."

The uncle told CBC last week that Jermaine's family was making funeral plans. He was unable to say when the funeral might be.