Body Recovered Nearly Four Weeks After Johnston Canyon Drowning

Parks Canada and RCMP have recovered the body of a 25-year-old man who disappeared at Johnston Canyon nearly four weeks ago after witnesses saw him jump into the Lower Falls pool.

Banff RCMP said a body was reported the morning of May 26 in Johnston Creek downstream from the lower pool of the Lower Falls.

“The deceased has been recovered,” said Cpl. Gina Slaney, public information officer with the Alberta RCMP’s Southern Alberta District.

The man had previously been identified as Pavlo Shemchuk, an Arizona resident originally from Ukraine who disappeared May 1 after witnesses saw him jump into the water near the Lower Falls.

“We had witnesses who saw the person enter the pool, go beneath the surface, and fail to resurface,” Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr, commander of the Banff RCMP detachment, said earlier this month.

Search efforts involving Parks Canada visitor safety specialists and partner agencies were suspended days after the incident because of hazardous spring runoff conditions inside the narrow canyon.

“At this time, search efforts to locate the victim were not successful due to dangerous water conditions,” said Slaney.

The Lower Falls area features steep rock walls, narrow catwalks and confined fast-moving water.

Parks Canada said the Johnston Canyon Trail and day-use area were temporarily closed May 26 to support the recovery operation and ensure public safety before reopening later in the day.

The recovery followed weeks of continued efforts by Shemchuk’s family and volunteer recovery diver Juan Heredia, a California-based diver who travelled to Banff after official recovery operations were suspended.

Heredia later told Bow Valley Insider he participated in the recovery effort, but the body was ultimately spotted by a tourist.

In Facebook posts following the recovery, Heredia said authorities granted him a limited overnight window to search the canyon pools.

“The Canadian authorities gave us one night's permission to dive and search for Pavlo in the upper and lower waterfall pools,” he wrote.

Heredia also described the emotional toll the prolonged search had on Shemchuk’s family.

“For miles we walked next to the river searching for Pavlo,” Heredia wrote. “Every rock, every turn of the water, every shadow in the current gave them hope for one more moment… and every empty pool crushed their hearts again.”

A fundraiser created to support Shemchuk’s family with recovery, memorial and funeral expenses had raised more than $27,000 as of publication.