Grieving mother is considering filing a private lawsuit over her son’s drowning death

A grieving mother continues to search for answers after her young son drowned in Penetanguişene in September.

Melissa Coombs said she was disappointed that South Georgia Bay OPP officers did not file charges in the Sept. 15 incident that led to the death of Isaac Coombs Howran.

“I’ve been pushing for charges,” said Coombs, who recently received the medical examiner’s report confirming that drowning was the cause of death for her 12-year-old son.

“He should never have been left alone. He was left unsupervised.”

He says Isaac and his brother were brought to Huronia Park in Penetanguishene by an adult.

Just before noon on September 15, emergency services received a call to 911 requesting assistance in locating a missing teenager who was last seen swimming in the park.

From there, South Georgia Bay OPP officers, including the marine unit, as well as Penetanguishene firefighters arrived and immediately began searching the land and water in the vicinity.

The search continued around 7:15 p.m., and members of the OPP’s underwater search and rescue unit, along with firefighters, located and recovered the young boy’s body. According to the coroner’s report, he had drowned four hours earlier.

Coombs said the incident should never have happened, considering Isaac did not know how to swim and usually wore a life jacket when he took him swimming with his siblings.

While Coombs said Southern Georgian Bay OPP told him no charges would be filed because they called it a “tragic accident,” he said he was trying to gather evidence to launch a private investigation.

Under this provision of the province’s justice system, citizens can apply to file criminal charges by filing an application with the Ontario Court of Justice.

Coombs plans to file a Freedom of Information request to obtain the police investigator’s notes on the case before moving forward with private prosecution, and will also pursue other agency files.

“I won’t stop talking,” he said.

The incident also had a lasting impact on Isaac’s 11-year-old brother Owen, who was at the park that hot September day.

“He is suffering from seeing his brother die,” Coombs said, adding that Owen regularly experiences moments of panic and anxiety as he continues to relive the event.

“Her whole life is turned upside down right now. She has survivor’s guilt.”

Coombs, who has three other sons, says he has not been able to work since Isaac’s death.

“It was very difficult,” said Coombs, who runs her own salon. “It just feels like a nightmare.”