An Ohio woman was arrested after her young neighbor vanished during a boating trip on Lake Erie — with another passenger shockingly found dead in the water the next day, according to reports.
Angelique Cunningham, 11, disappeared while boating on the western basin of the picturesque lake on Wednesday night with her neighbor, Kristen Gerrie, 41, and Jonathan Ciha, 38 — whose body was discovered on Thursday, WTVG reported.
Gerrie was arrested and charged with endangering children on Friday in connection with the case, the local ABC affiliate station reported.
She was responsible for watching Cunningham when the pair, along with Ciha, left Meinke Marina in Jerusalem Township on a boat.
Cunningham vanished from the boat within 15 minutes after the trio set sail, according to the outlet.
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.
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