Urgent search for missing girl after man found dead and boat spotted adrift on Parramatta River

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:02, 13 June 2026 | Updated: 06:25, 13 June 2026 A man has died and his daughter is missing after a small boat was found adrift on the Parramatta River in Sydney's inner west.  Emergency services were called to Bayview Park on Burwood Road, Concord, just before 11.45am on Saturday after reports from a passer-by that a man's body was in the water.  When police arrived at the scene, they pulled the man into the boat which he had hired and attempted CPR but he died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified but police believe he was in his 40s from the Westmead area. Officers were told the man had been seen in a small boat with a child shortly before the discovery.  The girl, who is believed to be seven-years-old and the deceased man's daughter, is yet to be found.  Her mother has been notified of the man's death and that her daughter is missing.  'This is an absolute tragedy for the family and the community on every level,' Burwood Police Area Command's Superintendent Christine McDonald told reporters on Saturday. A man has died and a child is reportedly missing after a boat was found drifting in Sydney Superintendent Christine McDonald said police believe the pair were father and daughter Specialist resources have been called in to help with the search 'Obviously a mother in this situation who knows that her husband is now deceased, who also knows that a major search operation is underway for her seven-year-old daughter, her only child, as I understand it - it would rock any mother to the core.' Police have established a command post and launched a search for the girl, with specialist resources called in to assist with the search.  Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Burwood police or Crime Stoppers.  'It's unknown how he [the deceased man] came to be in the water,' Supt McDonald said. 'We do know that the man that we've located hired the vessel today, and that is all forming part of our inquiries. 'Today at 12.30pm, police received a call from a friend of the man to say that he had concerns for the child's welfare and the man's welfare.  'Unfortunately, police had located that man deceased just before 11.45am, so about an hour beforehand. 'In terms of whether this was an accident or whether it was intentional, that will form part of our inquiries.'  Supt McDonald said the girl's mother is currently with police, assisting with inquiries. She added that the priority for emergency services is to find the little girl, with the operation including support from Marine Area Command, divers and aviation command. A search of the boat will also be carried out by police. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.