Schuyler
Nelson County, VA
Updated at 3:30 pm 12.28.22 with official VSP release / update:
“ At 11:41 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 27), the Virginia State Police was alerted to a submerged vehicle in the Rockfish River near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in Nelson County. State police is still working to determine the exact date the vehicle was washed off the road.
At this point in the investigation, it appears that 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 VSP 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.
We will not release the names until the ME has confirmed the identities and next of kin have been notified.
Corinne N. Geller
Public Relations Director
Virginia State Police”
Updated 2:30 PM with additional victims:
BRL has been able to independently confirm that 3 people have been found dead in the water recovery effort near Schuyler, Virginia. Crews are looking for two additional victims believed to have perished. At this time it’s believed there is an adult male, and four children, but two of the victims have not been located as of Wednesday, midafternoon. We know the identity of the adult male and word has swept across social media in Nelson. We will not publish any victim names until Virginia State Police have released them.
Tommy
Earlier release from VSP:
“At 11:41 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 27), the Virginia State Police was alerted to a submerged vehicle in the Rockfish River near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in Nelson County.
Local and state Search and Recovery Teams responded to the scene to assist with the vehicle recovery. At this time, there are two confirmed fatalities. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.
Corinne N. Geller
Public Relations Director
Virginia State Police”
#UPDATE: #VSP confirms 2 people are dead in connection with a submerged vehicle in Nelson County. @BlueRidgeLife https://t.co/2htQfKKLia
— CBS19 News: Charlottesville News First (@CBS19News) December 27, 2022
BRL can confirm rescue crews are on the scene of a water rescue/recovery near Schuyler in Nelson County, Virginia. We have confirmed with Virginia State Police there is an ongoing scene. We have been told from other independent sources that multiple victims have been found from a submerged SUV in the water along Bridgeport Lane.
This is a developing story we are working in conjunction with CBS19News in Charlottesville.
