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Albemarle County announces discovery of human remains near flash flood site

albemarle countyAlbemarle County officials announced today the discovery of what is to believed to be the remains of the missing person who was swept into flood waters on the night of Wednesday, May 30.

On the night of Wednesday, May 30, a flash flood of Ivy Creek at Old Ballard Road in Albemarle County caused two vehicles and three individuals to be swept into surging flood waters. One of the individuals was rescued that evening, search efforts for the other two individuals commenced immediately. A second victim was found deceased on the morning of Thursday, May 31. One of the vehicles was also found that morning. Search efforts have continued since then for the remaining missing person and vehicle.

Over the past two days, the improved weather and decreasing water levels, which is down about 18 inches from Sunday morning and approximately 2 ½ – 3 feet since Friday, have made favorable conditions for search and rescue efforts.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. this morning, water search crews located the missing vehicle. It was completely submerged in approximately 4 – 6 feet of water in a large pool, near where the first vehicle was found. Efforts have begun to remove the vehicle from the creek.

At approximately 12:30 p.m. this afternoon, a canine search crew indicated the detection of the scent of possible human remains roughly 1/3 of a mile downstream from where the missing individuals were observed being swept away by the flood waters. Additional search crews were diverted to the location of the scent, and worked to remove the debris and mud, eventually uncovering the remains.

The victims’ names are not being released at this time while the medical examiner officiates the identification.

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