A grieving mother is still searching for answers after her young son drowned in Penetanishene in September.

Melissa Coombs says she is disappointed that Southern Georgian Bay OPP officers are not recommending charges related to the September 15 incident that left Isaac Coombs Howran dead.

“I was pushing for charges to be filed,” said Coombs, who recently received a coroner’s report confirming that drowning was the cause of her 12-year-old son’s death.

“I should never have left him alone. “They left him unsupervised.”

She says Isaac and his brother were taken to Huronia Park in Penetanishene by an adult.

Just before noon on September 15, emergency responders received a 911 call, requesting help locating a young man who was last seen swimming in the park and disappeared from view.

From there, Southern Georgian Bay OPP officers, including the marine unit, as well as Penetanishene firefighters arrived and immediately began a search of the surrounding area by land and water.

The search continued into the evening and, around 7:15 p.m., members of the OPP underwater search and recovery unit along with firefighters located and recovered the young man’s body. He had drowned four hours earlier, according to the coroner’s report.

Coombs says the incident should never have happened, given that Isaac didn’t know how to swim and normally wore a life jacket when he took him swimming with his brothers.

While he says the Southern Georgian Bay OPP have told him no charges will be filed because they considered it a “tragic accident,” Coombs said he is working to gather evidence to move forward with a private prosecution.

Under this provision of the province’s justice system, citizens can apply to file a criminal charge by filing an application with the Ontario Court of Justice.

Before moving forward with his private prosecution request, Coombs plans to file a Freedom of Information request to obtain the police investigator’s notes on the case and will also search other agency files.

“I’m not going to stop talking,” he said.

The incident also had a lasting effect on Owen, Isaac’s 11-year-old brother, who was at the park that warm September day.

“He’s suffering from watching his brother die,” Coombs said, adding that Owen regularly has moments of panic and anxiety as he continues to relive the incident.

“His whole life is upside down right now. “It’s survivor’s guilt.”

Coombs, who has three other children, says she hasn’t been able to work since Isaac’s death.

“It’s been very difficult,” said Coombs, who runs her own salon. “It just feels like a nightmare.”