Carter Lake – Charges will be filed against the father of a little boy presumed drowned in Carter Lake.
The Larimer County sheriff on Tuesday said he is advising charges of child abuse resulting in death against Gil Dwayne Smith, the father of 2-year-old Shay Smith.
Smith originally told authorities Shay has fallen off the back of a boat and slipped out of life vest. But the investigation revealed the little boy had been riding on a tow-tube called the “Super Screamer,” behind boat at speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour.
Neither Smith or his passenger witnessed the accident, so the exact location where Shay was lost is unknown.
The announcement came exactly a month after Shay fell into the lake July 15 near its southernmost dam. Smith told investigators his son had fallen off the back of his 17-foot Bayliner about 8 p.m.
The search from Shay began almost immediately and without let up involving both local and renowned resources.
Tom Greenhalgh – a police lieutenant and a member of the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists – used 10 divers, sonar equipment from Florida and a robotic, underwater camera to scan the bottom of the lake five days after Shay disappeared.
But Greenhalgh turned up nothing. Meanwhile, the investigation continued and last week the Larimer Sheriff’s Office asked for more eyewitness help.
Specifically, investigators wanted to know precisely where Shay fell overboard so divers could pinpoint their efforts.
Those efforts led to the current state of the investigation.
