'Strong presumption of foul play' after vehicle driven into Schumacher lake

There's a "strong presumption of foul play" after a vehicle drove into Little Pearl Lake in Schumacher, according to Timmins Police.

The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. today (Aug. 6) at Little Pearl Lake, which is also known colloquially as Lac Welin.

One vehicle was driven into the lake. It is not known how many people were in the vehicle at the time and no victims have been recovered from the lake yet, said Timmins Police communications coordinator Marc Depatie

He said an OPP dive team is en route from Gravenhurst. While OPP and the fire department have boats on the lake, he said there are no divers on scene right now.

“Timmins CID (Criminal Investigations Division) is looking at the criminal aspect of any actions that led to this tragic set of circumstances. It’s fair to say that at the present we’re working on the premise that foul play is involved and we’re not going to speculate as to the number or the identity of the persons that may or may not be in that vehicle," he said.

The traffic section is also investigating the nature of the collision that led to the vehicle going into the lake, said Depatie.

Traffic is being rerouted along the stretch of highway in Schumacher. 

Eastbound traffic is asked to use Moneta Avenue to Vipond Road and access Highway 101 from there. Westbound traffic must also use Vipond as the backroad is closed for a watermain issue.