Jason Murph and his daughter Michelle Murph.Photo:Jason Murph/ Facebook
Jason Murph/ Facebook
A South Carolina man and his daughter died of hypothermia last week after their truck crashed on the way to visit his mother, according to reports.
In a police incident report shared with PEOPLE, Jason’s estranged wife told the Richland County Sheriff’s Department that he called her on Dec. 16, saying he “slid off the road” and “wrecked” the vehicle.
According to the report, she told authorities that he “hung up the phone on her” and “refused to pick up.” She could hear their daughter yelling in the background before “the phone died.” The wife then texted Jason to call 911, but there had been no response, per the report. The father and daughter’s whereabouts were unknown after that.
The autopsy results were inconclusive, but the determination of hypothermia was based on weather elements, per the reports. There were no suspicious injuries, and foul play is not suspected.
He told the station that the truck got stuck in the mud following the collision and that Jason probably made several attempts to move the truck, which in turn sparked a grass fire. That may have prompted Jason and Michelle to get out of the vehicle.
Porth added that the father and daughter probably tried to reach the interstate for help but ended up stuck in a wet area approximately 100 yards from their vehicle. “I feel like they were walking together, and unfortunately, he being heavier than she is, he sank into the mud, and the more you struggle, the deeper you go,” he said.
PEOPLE reached out to the Calhoun County Coroner’s Office for additional information.
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The funeral for Jason and Michelle will be held Saturday in Orangeburg, according tohis obituary.
source: people.com
