Three sets of parents who each lost a 20-year-old son in an accident on the raging Sooke River last week gathered on Wednesday to console one another.
“We are all coping in our own ways, but we are going to get through this together,” said Shannon McInnes, mother of Eric Blackmore, following a meeting of the families at her home on Otter Point Road.
“We all understand what the other families are going through.”
Cory Mills, Eric Blackmore and A.J. Jensen, disappeared on Friday night, sparking a massive ground and air search.
The pickup truck they were riding in was discovered in the fast-moving Sooke River on Sunday, and the bodies of Mills and Blackmore were found the same day. Jensen’s body was found on Tuesday, downstream from the pickup.
The parents who talked to the Times Colonist on Wednesday said they believe the three best friends were “puddle-jumping” the truck along Sooke River Road, which was covered in fast-moving water due to a heavy rainstorm.
“We figured they were just going to go puddle-jumping like all of the kids do,” said Shannon McInnes. “It’s something all the kids do and have done for years and years.”
Will McInnes, Blackmore’s stepfather, said puddle-jumping is a popular pastime for Sooke youth.
“They go up to the potholes and they do puddle-jumping where they drive really fast through puddles and they splash and they have a great time.”
But the river had risen more than six metres from Friday to Saturday because of the heavy rain, according to Juan de Fuca search-and-rescue manager Kathryn Farr.
Investigators said there is no evidence foul play or intoxication were involved.
“They went up there and the water levels were too high and something just happened. We don’t know. It’s tough, tough,” said Will McInnes. “I mean, we’re raw right now. We’re devastated.”
The three men didn’t tell a parent they were going out in the pickup.
Had they asked, Shannon McInnes said, she would have dissuaded them from heading out, or at least said what she always said: “I love him and be safe.”
A.J. Jensen’s father, Mike Jensen, said it was just a tragic accident: “Three good kids fell victim to unfortunate circumstances.”
All three young men had been best friends since attending Grade 9 at Edward Milne Community School.
Eric Blackmore “loved to make people laugh,” said his mother. “He was really kind-hearted. He was just amazing.”
Eric often played with his younger brother Symon, 11, and sister Drew, 8. His sister Kayla, 22, lived in Alberta, where his biological father resides.
Trained in repairing radiators, he worked at Townside Automotive and wanted to be a mechanic working on cars.
Will McInnes joined the family when the boy was only six, and considers Eric his son. He taught him to drive and “how to be a dude.”
“Eric was very easygoing,” said Will McInnes. “He had a very witty sense of humour.”
He wasn’t into sports as much as he liked to play video games and operate remote cars.
A.J. Jensen, son of Danielle and Mike Jensen in Sooke, was a “kind of homebody and jock,” said his father.
“Lacrosse was his passion,” said Mike Jensen. “If he wasn’t working out or throwing a ball against a wall, he would be at home working on his truck.”
A.J. played minor ball at Juan de Fuca and won a provincial championship with the last intermediate Victoria Shamrocks team in 2017, said his father. He also played Junior B Lacrosse for the Westshore Bears.
Father and son shared a banter, which their family describe as their own language.
Mike Jensen’s partner, Carole Rittaler, described A.J. as sensitive and gentle. “He had a relationship with his dad like nothing I’ve ever seen before, undoubtedly best friends. Mike and Danielle did an amazing job raising such a well-rounded, outgoing, beautiful young man.”
A.J. leaves behind brothers Jordan and Danny Baker.
Cory Mills was born and raised in Sooke and, like his best friends, was “a Sooke boy through and through,” according to his parents, Sean and Joanne Mills, who described him as a compassionate, respectful, funny, quirky and giving person. He was athletic and loved sports, “just loved life,” his parents said.
“He always had a smile on his face and was always able to be the one to bring a smile to other people’s faces.”
All of the parents said they are grateful for the hundreds of people who helped in the search for the three men.
The Jensens singled out Juan de Fuca Electoral Area director Mike Hicks for his efforts to mobilize search and rescue, as well as Frankie and Daryl Townsend, owners of Lit Up vape and smoke shop, for turning their store into a command centre.
The parents thanked the volunteers for giving them closure.
With the loss of Eric, Will McInnes said he longs to get back all the little things he once thought were annoying. When Eric entered a room, for example, he would say: “Hola,” McInnes said. “That’s one thing I wish I could hear again.”
