Arrest made in fatal Bobs Lake boat crash investigation
More than five months after a boat crash on Bobs Lake claimed the lives of three people, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have made an arrest.
The OPP confirmed to Kingstonist on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, that the arrest had occurred within the City of Kingston. According to sources with detailed knowledge of the arrest, Matthew Splinter was arrested, though the charges laid against him are unknown at this time.
The boat crash, which involved a speed boat and an open-hull fishing boat, occurred just before 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, during the Victoria Day long weekend.
As previously reported, the involved boats were found one on top of the other alongside an abandoned concrete dock. Victims were treated on scene for over an hour, some after being pulled from the water in the Bucks Bay area of the lake, as Frontenac Paramedics ambulances and ORNGE helicopters transported the seriously injured parties to hospital.
A search continued into the night for one person who remained unaccounted for. Unfortunately, that person was located deceased and, according to police, three people were pronounced deceased at the scene: a 21-year-old female from South Frontenac Township, a 22-year-old female from Elginburg, and a 23-year-old male from South Frontenac. A total of five other people, aged 21 to 44, were reportedly taken to hospital with injuries of varying degrees of seriousness, police said the following day. Days later, the OPP confirmed with Kingstonist eyewitness reports of children having been on one of the boats, noting that “the two youths were transported to hospital and checked out as a precaution.”
Prior to this announcement, the most recent details from the OPP were provided at the end of July. At that time, the OPP had no news to impart, and instead said they were welcoming the tough questions from the public about the lack of new information. Kingstonist has checked in with the OPP for updates at least monthly since July.
The Frontenac County Detachment of the OPP is holding a press event on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, where further details – including the identity of the accused person and the charges laid against them – are expected to be released.
“This arrest has been in the works for months,” Constable Robert Martell, Media Relations Officer for the Frontenac OPP, told Kingstonist.
“We know that people in the community want information. Tomorrow, we’ll finally be able to give them that,” he said.
According to Martell, who did not confirm that Splinter was the arrested party (Kingstonist has verified the arrest occurred with other sources that will remain unidentified), the charges laid against the accused party have been sworn in court, and the families affected by the fatal collision have been notified
This is a developing story. Kingstonist will provide updated coverage of this matter as more information becomes available.
With files from Jessica Foley.