The family of a nine-year-old boy presumed dead after being swept into Lake Erie will have wait for a final goodbye as the search for his body has been ended.
Ontario Provincial Police call the decision to stop search efforts Tuesday "extremely difficult".
Alex Ottley went into the icy water Feb. 15 at Peacock Point, about 60 km south of Hamilton.
Alex had been playing with his 10-year-old sister and an eight-year-old friend. Alex had reportedly been trying to rescue that friend from trouble when he was swept into the water. His sister was able to flag down a passing car for help, but Alex was gone.
Over the last 10 days, OPP battled poor weather as they scoured the shoreline, used divers, helicopters, and sonar in the search for Alex. Police say there will be periodic searches from the air and along the shoreline in the future.
A GoFundMe campaign in support of Alex's family had raised more than $18,000 by Tuesday evening.