A Richland County man and his daughter had been discovered lifeless off the aspect of a South Carolina street, not removed from Interstate 26, final week. Post-mortem outcomes carried out by the Calhoun County coroner had been inconclusive, however it’s believed they succumbed to hypothermia.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Division confirmed that Jason Murph, 42, and his 6-year-old daughter, Michelle Murph, had been discovered 50 to 100 yards from their truck close to exit 136 off Interstate 26 on Monday, Dec. 18.
The 2 left his house in Blythewood on a visit to go to Murph’s mom in Orangeburg, 60 miles away, however had been reported lacking on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Their our bodies had been found by Orangeburg County’s Okay-9 unit, one other division aiding with the search.
Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth, who couldn’t decide a definitive reason for dying, stated in an interview with News19 that “the weather” most certainly contributed to their untimely demise.
“It wasn’t beneath freezing certainly not, however due to the wind and the rain, they turn out to be extraordinarily chilly, and I believe it turned an urgency for them to attempt to discover assist and attempt to discover shelter,” he stated.
Richland County deputies are spearheading the investigation.
One little bit of proof they found was surveillance video from an Exxon gasoline station that captured Murph’s silver Toyota Tundra pickup truck driving by round 7 p.m. on the night time he went lacking.
Based on statements offered by Murph’s estranged spouse, who final spoke with him on the telephone round 8 p.m. on the night time of the disappearance, RCSD believes the person was in an accident in his pickup truck and was strolling together with his daughter in search of assist.
The spouse additionally advised police that she heard her daughter yelling within the background earlier than her husband hung up the telephone. He by no means picked again up after their name ended.
She additionally stated that in response to the incident report, Murph was misplaced and was making an attempt to determine the place he was.
Quentin, Murph’s cousin, was bowled over by the location the place the truck was discovered, and the 2 our bodies had been found, because it was not alongside the path to their meant vacation spot to his aunt’s home.
Proof, the nook proposed, means that the truck was caught in mud, and Murph had tried a number of instances unsuccessfully to free it. Porth believes the scenario escalated when a grass fireplace ignited as a result of friction from Murph’s a number of efforts to extricate the car from the mud.
“In my view, the automotive truly began the grass fireplace in all probability about 10:30 p.m., however sadly, when the automotive fireplace was extinguished, I believe that’s once they turned pressing to get out,” the coroner hypothesized.
Including, “I really feel like they had been strolling collectively, and sadly, he being heavier than she is, he sank into the mud, and the extra you wrestle, the deeper you go.”
Officers don’t consider the dying was attributable to foul play however are ready to see if toxicology outcomes add something to their investigation into the dying.
The general public viewing for the daddy and daughter duo was held on Friday, Dec. 29, from 12 – 6 p.m., two weeks after their deaths.
Funeral providers for them will probably be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Simmons Funeral Dwelling and Crematory Chapel in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in response to their on-line obituaries.
