A child was found dead and another person remains missing after a vehicle crashed into a creek Monday night as severe storms brought heavy rain and flash flooding to the Tupelo area.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. on March 9 when a vehicle reportedly swerved off the Natchez Trace Parkway and plunged into a nearby creek during dangerous weather conditions. Torrential rainfall moved across Northeast Mississippi throughout the evening, leading to flash flooding and rapidly rising waterways in several areas.
A witness reported seeing the vehicle leave the roadway and immediately called 911.
Police and fire crews responded and searched the area for hours Monday night as storms continued to move through the region, but the vehicle could not initially be located in the flooded creek.
Search efforts resumed Tuesday morning, when responders located the vehicle in the water. A young girl was found inside and pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities are continuing to search for another individual believed to have been in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Officials have not released the identity of the child. The investigation remains ongoing.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
