Watch an extended clip of an interview with Captain Chromik of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office in the video at the end of this article.
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – The Lucas County Coroner released autopsy results Monday for two people whose bodies were recovered from Lake Erie, confirming both died by drowning as investigators continue to piece together what happened aboard a boat on the night of July 1.
The coroner confirmed the body recovered Sunday is that of 11-year-old Angelique Cunningham, with drowning listed as her cause of death.
The body of 38-year-old Jonathan Ciha — the owner of the boat — was pulled from the lake three days earlier. The coroner also ruled his death a drowning.
Charges filed, key questions unanswered
The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office charged Kristen Gerrie with child endangerment following Angelique’s disappearance during the boat ride. It’s since been upgraded to a felony charge.
Court documents allege Gerrie placed Angelique on a boat with Ciha. The boat left Meinke Marina West at 10:36 p.m. and was on the water for less than 15 minutes before the young girl was missing, according to charging records.
13 Action News asked whether Gerrie is cooperating and telling investigators what happened.
“She’s telling her truth, however; we believe there’s a much bigger truth out there,” said Capt. Robert Chromik of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said Gerrie never called 911 after Ciha and Angelique went into the water. Instead, she swam to shore and called a friend to pick her up. It was Angelique’s mother who called for help.
“We don’t know what happened on that boat. What we do know — we have two people that have been determined to have drowned in Lake Erie, and we have an adult female that left that scene after she was responsible for Angelique Cunningham’s care,” said Chromik. “And then hours later decided to tell somebody that she was missing, which also caused another issue because we had two separate investigations going on.”
Gerrie described as close family friend
Authorities say Gerrie also never contacted Angelique’s mother after the incident, despite being described as a close family friend.
“She was not a babysitter. She was a very close friend to the family, and they felt comfortable enough to allow her to go with her on a recreational boat ride,” Chromik said.
Investigators said Angelique was not a strong swimmer. After swimming to shore, Gerrie knocked on a stranger’s door seeking help.
“He was just being a good Samaritan and helping somebody out that came to his door asking for help,” Chromik said.
Gerrie has since been interviewed by both the Sheriff’s Office and Toledo Police.
Investigation ongoing; social media rumors addressed
Investigators said no evidence was collected from the docking area and are not releasing details about evidence gathered elsewhere.
Chromik also addressed social media posts circulating about Ciha.
“A lot of people have questions, but for the most part, what people need to be very careful about is that the narratives on social media about Mr. Ciha and the statements made about him — they have no credence to who that man was,” he said.
“I think this is a tragic situation for both families that lost a loved one. The only person that has the answers is the person that we charged for child endangerment today,” Chromik said.
Investigators are still working to figure out what unfolded on the boat.
“They’re wrestling with all of these questions. They’re wrestling with the fact they had to deal with the death of a child,” Chromik said of investigators handling the case. “That’s not easy on anyone, especially with a family that we truly respect. They held together throughout this incident, throughout the weekend, and we don’t want to be the bearers of bad news and unfortunately that’s the direction this went in.”
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