HARRISON TWP., Mich. — Three people were killed and one was hospitalized in a boat crash on Lake St. Clair last Wednesday night, and the Macomb County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still only in the initial stages.
Craig Miller, Heidi Baldwin, and Gerald "Lenny" Grzadzinski died in the crash near MacRay Harbor. Dawn Grzadzinski was also on board and was hospitalized. Investigators say she swam to shore in the middle of the night to get help before 911 was called.
The sheriff's office says it is determined to deliver answers for those affected by the tragedy.
"We owe it to these families. We owe it to the boating community. We want to make sure that we conduct a thorough investigation for these individuals," Commander Jason Abro with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said.
Commander Abro said there has been significant online speculation about what happened and who is to blame — much of it unverified. He warned that such speculation can be dangerous and stressed that verified, factual information will come directly from the sheriff's office.
Investigators are currently in the process of analyzing speed data and reviewing video surveillance, while also examining navigational equipment from the vessels involved and conducting interviews.
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"A situation like this, where you have three persons who can't provide information to us, we have to go back and recreate this event, to recreate impact, to recreate who may have been traveling at what area or speeds or to determine navigational equipment," Commander Abro said. "It's a difficult task for our detectives to recreate an evidence-based investigation on the waterways...it's different than conducting an investigation on a roadway."
Authorities say all parties involved are cooperating, and the crash is not being investigated as a hit-and-run. The sheriff's office confirmed that an individual was brought in for questioning but was later released pending further investigation. That individual is not being named as they have not yet been charged.
Once the investigation concludes, all evidence and potential recommendation of charges, if any, will be forwarded over to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office for review.
Meanwhile, the tight-knit boating community continues to grapple with the devastation and the loss. Some people who spoke with 7 News Detroit by phone said it is still too difficult to talk about what happened, and that the healing process will be a long and grueling one.
While the sheriff's office says it is difficult to give timelines in these scenarios, investigators say the process could take weeks before they determine who, if anyone, is at fault.
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