Update: 3 boaters presumed dead

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate a boat collision that occurred on Lake Coeur d’Alene on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at about 9:15 PM.

Further investigation has revealed that there were five adults on a 2011 Mastercraft X25 open bow boat and they were traveling south on Lake Coeur d’Alene, near Threemile Point (between Stevens Point and Swede Bay). The Mastercraft collided with a 1989 Formula 223LS that was either stationary at the time or northbound. The Formula is reported to have had three adults on board.

The five adults from the Mastercraft were transported to Kootenai Health for non-life threatening injuries and released.

Currently the three adults from the Formula are missing and presumed drowned. The three have been identified as Justin M. Luhr 34 years old of Medical Lake, Washington and his two passengers, Justin T. Honken, 21 years old of Post Falls, Idaho and Caitlin A. Breeze, 21 years old of Spokane, Washington.

Sheriff’s Marine units continued to search the surface and shoreline throughout Saturday night and Sunday without success. The search is now focused on the lake’s bottom, which is about 120’ deep in the area of the crash.

The investigation is still in its preliminary stages. The Sheriff’s SONAR Team is currently assembling and preparing to begin searching the lake bottom for the three.

As the SONAR boat begins its search as early as this afternoon, we ask that boaters stay clear of the area and if they are traversing through, that they minimize their wake.

If anyone has information relating to this investigation, they are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Recreation Safety Section at (208)446-2250.