WELCH, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Three people, including a toddler, have died after their truck was swept into the Tug River during high water on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
According to the Welch Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, troopers responded to Summer Street in Welch around noon on Monday, February 17, after a deceased man was found on the riverbank.
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The victim was identified as Donald Eugene Griffin, 69, of Welch.
Investigators determined that Griffin had been an occupant of a silver Chevrolet Silverado that was caught in high water and washed into the river the day before.
The vehicle was later found submerged near Coney Island in Welch.
Around 5:00 p.m. on Monday, authorities began extracting the truck from the water and discovered the body of an adult female inside.
She was identified as Deborah Griffin, 69, also of Welch.
Witnesses reported that a two-year-old boy had been inside the truck and was last seen being carried by Donald Griffin.
Additionally, two juvenile females were also in the vehicle but managed to escape after the truck was struck by trees, shattering the rear window.
The girls were rescued from the river by firefighters and EMS personnel.
On Tuesday, February 18, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the body of the missing two-year-old was found in the Tug River near Hunting Shirt Bottom in Davy—about ten miles from where the truck was swept away.
Authorities confirmed that Mr. and Mrs. Griffin were the legal guardians of the children.
