WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill said Tuesday search efforts for what’s believed to be the final victim in the deadly June 23 flood would continue with the same all-out effort.
Even though Cahill wouldn’t confirm the name of victim Mykala Phillips, 14, of White Sulphur Springs, he did say her identity had been widely reported.
The search effort is concentrated in the White Sulphur Springs to Harts Run area, Cahill said.
“We’ve used boats, jon boats, canoes, kayaks, airboats like you would see in the Florida Everglades, helicopters, drones from all over the state and cadaver dogs,” Cahill said.
The search crews are facing a number of obstacles, Cahill said.
“We are dealing with massive debris piles, that’s the biggest problem, but we aren’t stopping this latest search,” Cahill said.
Fifteen people died in connection with the flood in Greenbrier County. The bodies of the 13th and 14th victims were found Saturday. Cahill said most victims have been found one to two miles from where they went into the water with the exception of a victim found Saturday in the Greenbrier River which was some 30 miles from the Renick area.
Cahill said he feels “pretty optimistic” the final victim will be found especially after Saturday.
Phillips was with two brothers and her father in their Mill Hill Drive home in White Sulphur Springs when they tied extension cords together as the water rushed in. Her cord broke and she went rushing down the water in the opposite direction of her family members who were all rescued.
Along with the 15 flood victims in Greenbrier County, six people died in Kanawha County and one each in Jackson and Ohio counties.