Canadian Armed Forces concludes Summary Investigation into 2022 vehicle accident at Royal Military College

January 30, 2024 – Kingston, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

The Canadian Armed Forces has concluded the Summary Investigation into the incident that occurred at the Royal Military College of Canada on April 29, 2022, where four fourth-year officer cadets tragically lost their lives. 

The Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy convened the Summary Investigation to examine service-related circumstances surrounding the deaths of Officer Cadets Jack Hogarth, Andrei Honciu, Broden Murphy, and Andrés Salek, and to recommend, if any, applicable preventative measures. 

Specifically, the Summary Investigation was convened to examine the cause of death, service-related contributing factors, whether the death was attributable to military service and whether the members were on duty at the time of death.

The Summary Investigation concluded the following:

1. The cause of death was drowning. This finding was informed by the post-mortem examination completed by the Ontario Coroner’s Office. 
2. Through an in-depth examination of the relevant evidence, the Summary Investigation identified no service-related contributing factors to the deaths. 
3. The Summary Investigation concluded that the deaths were not attributable to military service.
4. The Summary Investigation determined the officer cadets were not on duty at the time.

The families of the four officer cadets have been briefed by the investigating officer and no additional information is being provided at this time. 

The families have been briefed separately on the conclusion of the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service investigation. The statement issued by the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal can be located at: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2023/04/statement-from-the-office-of-the-canadian-forces-provost-marshal.html

A Summary Investigation is an internal, administrative, fact-finding investigation conducted for the purpose of informing the convening authority on various findings. It is not mandated to make findings of disciplinary, civil, or criminal liability, and its findings must not be interpreted in that manner.