The bodies of four elderly members of an Indian-origin family from New York, who went missing while on a pilgrimage to a religious site in West Virginia, were recovered on Saturday. Marshall County Sheriff Mike Doherty confirmed the incident on Sunday.
The victims were 89-year-old Kishore Diwan, 85-year-old Asha Diwan, 86-year-old Shailesh Diwan, and 84-year-old Geeta Diwan. They were on their way from Buffalo to “Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold” in Marshall County and were travelling in a 2009 model green Toyota Camry (New York license plate EKW2611).
All four persons died in a vehicle accident, the sheriff’s department said in a statement shared on Facebook. The bodies and the car were found at the bottom of a steep slope on Big Wheeling Creek Road at around 9:30 pm on Saturday.
Sheriff Doherty said rescue teams were at the scene for about five hours. He expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased and said that detailed information would be given after the investigation is completed.
It is reported that these elderly people were last seen on July 29 at a Burger King restaurant in Pennsylvania. The sheriff had informed that the family was going to Mountsville, West Virginia, via Pittsburgh.
Police teams from Marshall and Ohio County searched the surrounding areas. The information about the vehicle was also registered in the National Crime Information Center, and a missing report was also filed in Buffalo.
A voluntary organisation “Council of Heritage and Arts of India (CHAI)” based in Williamsville, New York, cooperated in the search for the missing people. Sibu Nair, president of the organization, said, “Two couples had gone on a trip and have not been found yet. We are very worried. If anyone has any information, please share it. We pray that they are found safe.”
