Update: Three dead, two still missing in Nelson County after vehicle found submerged

Three people are dead after a vehicle was found submerged in the Rockfish River in Nelson County on Tuesday.

Virginia State Police had originally reported two deaths at the scene, near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in the Schuyler area.

State Police had responded to the scene after a call to 911 at 11:41 a.m. Tuesday. It appears that the driver of a 1997 Toyota 4Runner tried to cross the flooded Rockfish River at a low-river crossing on Bridgeport Lane and was swept away by the strong current.

The crossing is on private property.

Two individuals, an 11-year-old male and a 17-year-old male, were located deceased on the riverbank.

Once the vehicle was retrieved from the river, a 30-year-old male was found inside.

The Virginia State Police Search and Recovery Team, VSP Aviation Division, Virginia Department of Emergency Management search teams, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office continue to search for two more individuals believed to have been passengers in the vehicle.

None of the individuals were related. The three that have been recovered have been transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Richmond for autopsy, examination and positive identification.

The incident remains under investigation.