Home Update: Three dead, two still missing in Nelson County after vehicle found submerged
Region/State

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

Chris Graham
12-28-22 Rockfish River in Nelson County Search Efforts
Photo from the scene of the search effort. Photo: Virginia State Police

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.

Multimedia

 




Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

Latest News

college football
Football

ACC Football: Four games on Friday night slate in Week 2 action

michael vick
UVA Football

UVA Football: Tony Elliott fanboys over dogkiller Michael Vick, to his, and our, shame

The last pit bull to escape the dogfighting operation run by Michael Vick, the Virginia Tech and NFL alum who is in Year 2 as the head coach at Norfolk State, crossed over to the other side of the rainbow bridge in 2021.

usps united states post office mail carrier mailbox
Trump's America

Warner, Kaine sign on to effort to challenge USPS takeover of mail-in ballots

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have joined a large group of lawmakers in the filing of a legal brief with the Supreme Court in a case challenging the legality of a U.S. Postal Service effort to control the flow of mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterms.

school classroom
Local

Waynesboro gets small, almost nothing, grant from state for school security

beth macy ben cline
Trump's America

Ben Cline goes solo, as planned, at Salem Rotary Club event: Where’s the beef?

uva football entrance
UVA Football

UVA Football: Breakdown of the depth chart for Week 2 game with Norfolk State

Isiah D. Crawford
Local

Waynesboro: Teen held on charges related to shooting at Sunset Park