MIDLAND - A young boy who drowned in Penetanguishene Bay on Sunday didn’t know how to swim, a family member says.
Kathleen Coombs says her grandson, Isaac Coombs Howran, would always wear water wings or another type of flotation device when either she or her daughter, Melissa, took him and his siblings swimming.
“He could have had some sort of life preserver on him," she tells MidlandToday. “Whenever my daughter and I would take him to the beach, he always had that because he can’t swim.”
Coombs says Isaac was at Huronia Park that afternoon with his paternal grandmother, who, like Kathleen Coombs and his paternal grandfather and father, works at Techform (Magna) in Penetanguishene.
“I’m just devastated,” Coombs says. “I’m still trying to get over my son’s murder and then this happens, a senseless tragedy. A senseless, senseless tragedy that could have been overcome so easily. I have no other words; I’m just broken.”
Coombs, who described Isaac as “awesome, the sweetest little boy,” says he had recently joined the local air cadet squadron with his brother, Ethan.
“He was so happy about it. He had a thing to go to Sunday evening at 6 p.m.”
She says her daughter, Melissa, is also struggling to comprehend how this tragic accident occurred and described her as “not good” when asked how she was coping with the loss of her son.
“Everyone who knew Issac loved him dearly,” she says. “He was such a fun-loving young boy.”
Just before noon Sunday, a 911 call was received by emergency services, requesting assistance in locating a youth who was last seen swimming at the park and became lost from view.
From there, Southern Georgian Bay OPP officers, including the marine unit, as well as Penetanguishene firefighters arrived and immediately began a search of the vicinity on land and water.
The search continued into the evening and, at about 7:15, members of the OPP’s underwater search and recovery unit along with firefighters located and recoverd the young boy’s body.
A fundraiser set up by Qiluya (Kelly) Ipeelie-Adams aims to support the family “during this incredibly challenging time” and help cover funeral expenses.
“I hope that through our collective compassion and community spirit, we can offer meaningful support to Melissa and her remaining children,” she wrote on the fundraising website.
As of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, $5,670 had been raised toward the $10,000 goal.
While Coombs says she’s been grateful for the support from both her workplace and the community, she is unfortunately no stranger to tragedy.
In February 2019, her son, Daniel Jason Coursol, also known as Danny, was living in Wetaskiwin, Alta., when he was reported missing.
Two months later, Coursol’s body was discovered in the Maskwacis area of Alberta, and five people, three of whom face first-degree murder charges, were arrested in connection to the incident.
She says she’s often reminded of her son’s death as she grieves the loss of her grandson.
“I’m in shock. My moods are all over the place,” she says. “How would you feel if you lost a child? And I’ve lost both now, my child and my grandson.
“I wish I was with him. I wish I was with my grandson and my son right now. I wouldn’t have to feel all this pain and misery.”