Tragic news concerning Randy Sitter

Mon Sept 24/07

I have some tragic news concerning Randy Sitter, our colleague in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University.

On Wednesday Sept 19, Randy went on a kayak trip in the Lummi Island area in Washington state. When Randy failed to return home at the expected time, the US Coast Guard and other professionals began a comprehensive search beginning early Thursday morning. Randy's kayak, identification and life jacket were found later Thursday morning in the Lummi Rocks, 100 metres off the west side of Lummi Island. Randy was known to always wear his life jacket when kayaking.

The initial search by the professionals was thorough. Excluding the water and the populated regions, the possible areas that Randy might have accessed are extremely limited. The currents and wind were taken into account as well as the distances that Randy might have covered. Every conceivable spot where Randy might have travelled was searched.

Over the following days, family and many friends of Randy continued the search and found no evidence of Randy's presence. All search efforts have now terminated.

It is with great regret that I pass on this information.

Sincerely,

Tim Swartz Chair - Stats/Actsci Simon Fraser University