On Wednesday, January 4th, 2:41 p.m. , the Irving Police Department was contacted regarding vehicle debris and guard rail damage that was located along the canal waterway in the area of Northwest Highway (Spur 348) and Riverside.
Based on evidence at the scene, officers believed there was a vehicle submerged in the canal water.
The Lewisville Fire Department Dive Team arrived and divers were sent into the water. The divers confirmed there was a vehicle submerged and assisted in removing the vehicle from the water.
A deceased adult male and female were located in the vehicle, each seated in the front seat area still wearing their seatbelts. The deceased were taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.
During the course of the investigation, information was received that the vehicle was last seen in the Dallas area around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of the 4th. At that time, three occupants were reported to have been seen inside the vehicle. Based on this information the Lewisville Fire Department Dive Team was contacted and arrangements were made for them to return to the scene early this morning, in order to look for a third victim.
Divers were sent into the water around 9:00 a.m. and a third body was located a little over an hour later which confirmed that there was a third person inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. Investigators also learned that an employee with DART noticed the guard rail damage around 4:30 a.m. which would indicate that the crash occurred between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Based on the initial investigation it appears as if the vehicle, a 2010 Porsche Panamera, was traveling westbound on Spur 348 just west of Riverside when it left the roadway for an unknown reason. The vehicle hit a curb and continued down an embankment until it hit the canal guardrail and eventually came to rest submerged in the water. Based on the initial evidence it appears as if the incident is a single vehicle crash.
Investigators believe speed was a contributing factor in the crash.
The investigation is still ongoing and a timeline of events leading up to the accident is still being pieced together.
The driver of the vehicle has been identified as Ronald Cary Eddins, 41, of Southlake. The two passengers of the vehicle have been identified as Kaat Paula Debeuckelaer, 21, of Austin and Kenneth Joseph Lark, 23, of Austin.
Ronald Eddins (Ron) was an attorney specializing in Mesothelioma litigation. He founded Eddins Law Firm in September 2011 and according to their website, "Ron C. Eddins is known as a tenacious and successful plaintiff attorney focused on high profile high stake litigation cases." Eddins was born in 1970 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Krista Debeuckelaer, mother of Paula Debeuckelaer, had this posted on her Facebook page: "My 21 year old daughter Kaat has been missing since Tuesday evening. Police is investigating, but we can use any help to try to locate her. She went with her boyfriend Kenny Lark to a hockey game in the American Airlines Stadium on Tuesday starting at 8pm. Through friends' accounts we know they were last seen in the Copeland Bar at the Hilton in Southlake around midnight that night. They had drinks with a lawyer there who paid cash for the drinks and can not be located by police. He said to be a lawyer with a practice in Southlake. He also said that he had hired a lawyer who graduated from UCLA Law in 2009. Her name was something like Alissa. The barman said Kenny and Kaat left a little later and the guy followed minutes after that. If you know anything about this guy or his story sounds familiar, please contact the police of Southlake or us..."
