Debris collected after unidentified object shot down over Lake Huron in 2023

Newly released documents show the Royal Canadian Mounted Police collected wreckage after an unidentified object was shot down over Lake Huron in February of last year.

Police in Canada collected debris after an unidentified object was shot down over Lake Huron in February 2023.

According to documents obtained through a freedom of information request to Canada's Department of National Defence, "wreckage" was found on "the shoreline of Lake Huron" just weeks after search efforts were officially suspended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The new discovery was never made public.

"Following reports of unidentified aerial objects observed in the Great Lakes area and elsewhere in North America, multiple searches were conducted by the RCMP with the support of the Canadian Armed Forces," an RCMP spokesperson said in a brief statement to CTVNews.ca. "Debris has been recovered from the shores of Lake Huron but after careful analysis, it was determined not to be of national security concern."

The unidentified object was shot down by a U.S. F-16 fighter jet on the afternoon of Feb. 12, 2023, over Lake Huron, which separates Michigan and Ontario. It was the third and final unidentified object blasted out of North America's skies that month following the high-profile Feb. 4, 2023, downing of an apparent Chinese surveillance balloon.

At the time, the Lake Huron object was described as "octagonal" in structure with strings hanging off of it, and it reportedly "slowly descended" into Canadian waters after being hit by one of two missiles that were fired at it. Officials characterized it as a suspected balloon that did not pose a military threat, but could have interfered with domestic air traffic.

The RCMP oversaw a brief winter search that also involved both the American and Canadian coast guards. In a Feb. 16, 2023, statement, the RCMP announced search efforts were being suspended "due to several factors including deteriorating weather and the low probability of recovery."