Yahoo News South Carolina Father and Daughter Found Frozen to Death Near Their Crashed Truck
Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle, 6, were reported missing last week
Jason Murph/ Facebook
Jason Murph and his daughter Michelle MurphA South Carolina man and his daughter died of hypothermia last week after their truck crashed on the way to visit his mother, according to reports.
The bodies of Jason Murph, 42, and Michelle Murph, 6, were discovered on Dec. 18 in Calhoun County, according to WIS-TV, CBS affiliate WLTX and The Independent. According to WIS, deputies first discovered the truck in which the two were riding, and then the bodies about an hour later on Lavender Lane.
Jason's estranged wife told the Richland County Sheriff's Department in a police incident report shared with PEOPLE that Murph called her on Dec. 16, saying he "slid off the road" and wrecked his truck as he and his daughter were on their way to see his mother.
According to the report, the wife told authorities that she could hear the child yelling in the background before the phone died. She had texted Jason to call 911, but there had been no response. The father and daughter's whereabouts were unknown after that.
The autopsy results were inconclusive, but the determination of hypothermia was based on weather elements, per the reports. There were no suspicious injuries, and foul play is not suspected.
"It wasn't below freezing by no means, but because of the wind and the rain, they become extremely cold, and I think it became an urgency for them to try to find help and try to find shelter," Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth told WLTX.
He told the station that the truck got stuck in the mud following the collision and that Jason probably made several attempts to move the truck, which in turn sparked a grass fire. That may have prompted Murph and Michelle to get out of the vehicle.
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Porth added that the father and daughter probably tried to reach the interstate for help but ended up stuck in a wet area approximately 100 yards from their vehicle. "I feel like they were walking together, and unfortunately, he being heavier than she is, he sank into the mud, and the more you struggle, the deeper you go."
PEOPLE reached out to the Calhoun County Coroner’s Office for additional information.
Quentin Murph, Jason Murph's cousin, said he is unsure how Jason and Michelle ended up where they were because it was not part of their route. “We’re sorry we weren’t there to maybe help you during the time you needed us the most,” Quentin said, per WIS-TV. “I just want to say we love you and we’ll always keep you in our fondest memories.”
Related: 11-Year-Old Texas Boy Dies of Suspected Hypothermia After Home Loses Power During Snowstorm
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The funeral for Murph and Michelle will be held Saturday in Orangeburg, South Carolina, according to an obituary from Simmons Funeral Home.
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