An Ohio woman, Kristen Gerrie, was arrested in the case of a missing 11-year-old girl from a boat in Lake Erie. 11-year-old Angelique Cunningham was supposed to be under the care of 41-year-old Gerrie during a boating trip. They went on a recreational boat ride, and she was supposed to be responsible for the young girl.
However, she went missing shortly after the trip started. The body of the 11-year-old could not be found, but another person on the boat was found dead. The authorities tried their best to find Cunningham alive; however, they halted the search after exhausting all resources.
Arrested in Disappearance of 11 yr-old Toledo Girl; Lake Erie Search Suspended Friday😡
The U.S. Coast Guard located and recovered the unoccupied vessel on Thursday afternoon, July 2, 2026, the day after the group first went out. The vessel looked to be physically intact and… pic.twitter.com/B5m92DVlND— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) July 5, 2026
According to Fox 10, Gerrie was charged with endangering children. She was arrested on 3 July and was being held on a $50,000 bond. She took Cunningham with her on Wednesday night. The authorities revealed that the 11-year-old went missing in less than 15 minutes after the boat left Meinke Marina in Jerusalem Township. The deceased man who was found in the water was identified as a 38-year-old Jonathan Ciha.
A boater called 911 after spotting his body in the water. The cause of his death was drowning, while the circumstances under which he drowned remain mysterious. Gerrie was able to swim back to the shore.
Multiple agencies are searching for 11-year-old Angelique Cunningham of Toledo. She was last seen boating with a man, whose body has since been recovered from Lake Erie, and a woman who was able to swim to shore >> https://t.co/3tBWAIlxZs pic.twitter.com/71zp2t82Ax
— 13 Action News (@13abc) July 2, 2026
After her arrest, she was interrogated by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office. So far, information shared by her hasn’t been available publicly. LCSO Captain Bobby Chromik stated, “I don’t think anybody’s being considered a suspect, per se. I think right now what we’re looking at is that this is probably a horrific accident in terms of what happened to this gentleman. Furthermore, he added that the focus was to find the 11-year-old safely.
The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department went to the lake for the search and rescue operation. The department also released a statement: “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.”
On Friday evening, a body was found near the shoreline; however, the authorities have not confirmed if it was Cunningham. This is a developing story, and the investigation is still going on in the case.
