Third body recovered in boating accident
Sheriff’s Department divers Sunday located the body of the last of three fishermen who drowned when their boat capsized on Lake Henshaw during a storm.
The county medical examiner identified the victim as Abe Holmes, 58, of Long Beach.
Also killed were Herbert McQueen, 58, of Pasadena; and Thomas Meridieth, 63, of Glendora.
The three were in a 12-foot boat attempting to cross the lake amid a fast-moving storm Thursday afternoon.
A fourth fisherman on the shore, Arthur Boone of Los Angeles, pulled Meridieth from the water, attempted unsuccessfully to revive him and called emergency personnel, officials said.
Meridieth’s wife had been waiting for him on the far side of the lake near the parking lot.
McQueen’s body was recovered Friday.
The three were fishing on the shore when a storm struck the popular fishing lake northeast of San Diego in the Cleveland National Forest.
They were trying to cross the lake ahead of the storm. Instead, the boat capsized amid whitecaps and high winds in about 40 feet of water.
Boone said he and Holmes were longtime friends who frequently made trips to Lake Henshaw.
After retrieving the boat and the scattered fishing gear, officials checked to see if the boat had been struck by lightning. No scorch marks were found.
“We still don’t know what happened,” said San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
