Body of young girl recovered from Sydney bay where father was found dead

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Superintendent Christine McDonald speaks in uniform

Police say friend raised alarm but man’s body had already been found at Bayview Park in Concord.

Police divers have recovered the body of a girl who went missing while on a boat with her father in a bay in Sydney’s inner west.

A search for the seven-year-old was launched after her father’s body was found floating near a boat drifting in the water off Bayview Park at Concord earlier on Saturday.

NSW Police said officers were told the man in his 40s had been seen in a small boat with the child shortly before his body was discovered.

“A command post was established at the scene and a search operation commenced. Her body was located about 5.30pm,” police said in a statement.

The major operation involved marine area command, police divers and police aviation command.

Police boat on the water at Concord after the body of a man was found.

The search involved police divers and other specialist police units. (ABC News)

Earlier, Superintendent Christine McDonald said the pair were from the Westmead area, and while they had not been formally identified, the girl’s mother had been notified.

She also said that police had received a call from a friend of the man expressing concern for the pair’s welfare, but that call had been made about an hour after the incident.

‘An absolute tragedy’

Emergency services were called to the area just before 11:45am after a passerby, who was on a boat, saw a man in the water.

“The police who arrived from Burwood Police Area Command boarded a vessel that was a member of the public’s and they went out to the small boat,” Superintendent McDonald said.

“And they pulled the man up into the boat that he had hired.”

Blue police tape at Bayview Park on Burwood Road, Concord.

Police are searching for a missing child after the discovery of her father’s body. (ABC News: Tony Ibrahim)

The boat is being forensically examined as part of the investigation, which is also looking at whether the incident was an accident, intentional or domestic-violence related.

“I can say from the outset, this is an absolute tragedy for the family and the community on every level,” Superintendent McDonald said.

The man who alerted police and allowed officers to use his boat was commended for his “courage and bravery” for showing “no regard for anything else but to get out there”.

Officers have been providing support to the child’s mother as the investigation continues.

CRE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-13/nsw-man-dead-missing-child-found-in-concord-waters/106794530