Officials suspect no foul play in 3 Lake Erie drowning deaths

The boat they were in is considered small craft.

STAFF REPORT

No foul play is suspected in the drowning deaths of three Youngstown fishermen last week on Lake Erie.

Doyle Broomfield, 82; Nathaniel Jackson, 76; and Vincent Mack, 58, died when their fishing boat capsized last Thursday evening on the choppy lake. All had been wearing life jackets.

Two investigators with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft are piecing together what happened, Matt Zlocki, ODNR supervisor in Ashtabula, said Monday. He said foul play is not suspected.

Zlocki said the men had been in an 18-foot boat, considered small craft, that launched from the Conneaut Port Authority. Winds from the northeast created 3- to 4-foot waves, he said.

“It would have been tough to navigate,” Zlocki said. “It hits all of us close to home — we preach life jackets, and those fellas put their life jackets on. They probably tried to stay with the boat. There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

The Coast Guard found the men north of Conneaut Harbor lighthouse.

Jackson and Mack were taken to the Erie (Pa.) County coroner’s office; Broomfield, who was recovered from the water after his two friends, was taken to the Ashtabula County coroner’s office, Zlocki said.

Dennis Suscheck, Erie County deputy coroner, said Jackson and Mack were not autopsied. He said they died from drowning with a contributing factor of hypothermia. He said it has yet to be determined how long the men had been in the water.

The preliminary cause of Broomfield’s death is drowning, Richard Mongell, Ashtabula County coroner’s chief investigator, said Monday. He said an autopsy was done and they are still waiting for toxicology and other test results. A final cause of death could take three months, he said.