In Ohio, authorities have detained a woman following the mysterious vanishing of a young girl during a boating excursion on Lake Erie. A day later, another passenger was discovered dead in the water, as reported.
The disappearance of 11-year-old Angelique Cunningham occurred while she was on a nighttime boating trip on Lake Erie’s western waters with her neighbor, 41-year-old Kristen Gerrie, and 38-year-old Jonathan Ciha, whose body was tragically found the following day, according to reports by WTVG.
Kristen Gerrie was taken into custody and charged with child endangering on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation, reported the area’s ABC affiliate station.
Gerrie was in charge of overseeing Cunningham during their outing on the lake, which began at Meinke Marina in Jerusalem Township when she, Cunningham, and Ciha embarked on a boat trip.
According to reports, mere minutes after their departure, Cunningham disappeared, sparking a search for the missing girl.
Authorities suspended a search for the young girl on Friday evening after saying they had exhausted all resources to search for the pre-teen from Toledo.
The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department said that the search for Cunningham had moved to a recovery effort.
The body of a girl was discovered near the Lake Erie shoreline on Sunday, though officials have not yet confirmed the person’s identity, the outlet reported.
Ciha was found dead in the water on Thursday morning after a horrified boater called 911. A deputy coroner said the man drowned, but the circumstances and manner of his death remain under investigation.
Gerrie somehow swam to shore after the incident, and authorities later questioned her in connection with the mysterious death and disappearance.
The boat was recovered on Thursday at the nearby West Sister Island.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and everyone affected by this tragedy. We ask the public to continue giving emergency crews the space needed to conduct this difficult operation,” the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department wrote in a statement.
Gerrie is being held behind bars on $50,000 bail, according to booking records.
Authorities have not elaborated on what events unfolded on the boat, and it’s unclear what Ciha’s relationship to Gerrie and Cunningham was.
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.