Deaths on boat remain mystery

HURON — What led to the death of three people on a boat offshore from downtown Cleveland on June 23? It's the question state investigators hope to answer. The bodies of Chris Kedas, 45, of Huron, and Frank Opaskar, 76, of Avon Lake, were found onboard a 33-foot Chris-Craft that was engaged and circling the water about 2 miles from the coast. Kedas' son, Owen, 11, also of Huron, was found unconscious and later died at MetroHealth Medical Center, according to a Cleveland news station. "The boat was not being piloted when Coast Guard personnel boarded it," said Stephanie O'Grady, a spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Carbon monoxide poisoning is listed on preliminary autopsy reports for Kedas and Owen, according to the Cuyahoga County medical examiner's office. Erie County health commissioner Pete Schade was acquainted with Kedas through Kedas' job with South Shore Marine in Huron. "I was looking at a boat, and I got to know him and talk to him. He was a gracious salesman," Schade said. "He was a good guy." Schade said a serious malfunction of some kind must have occurred. "Something must have happened because Chris was a seasoned guy," he told the Register. "Chris knew about the dangers of exhaust, and he would have known to get out of there." Kedas had been a salesman with South Shore since 2009. The company started a GoFundMe page for Kedas' family last week that had received pledges totaling nearly $140,000 by late Friday. Schade said carbon monoxide poisoning can be a silent killer on boats. It is odorless and acts quickly. "It does not have to be in an enclosed area to be dangerous," he said. "The gas can gather on the boats, especially behind the dash." "When you realize you're getting sick, if you don't get out of there, you're going to drop from it," Schade said. "There are sensors on boats that won't allow you to start the boat until you clear the exhaust out of the area." O'Grady described the boat as a 1987 33-foot Chris-Craft. She did not provide a specific model. Chris-Crafts are cabin cruiser-style boats. It not known if the boat was equipped with exhaust sensors. U.S. Coast Guard personnel who boarded the Chris-Craft reported being alerted to high levels of carbon monoxide upon arrival. O'Grady declined to provide any other information about the status of the investigation.