Four Indian-origin family members, who went missing during their road trip in New York, have been found dead in a tragic car accident, the Marshal County Sheriff’s office said in a statement on Sunday.
Asha Divan (85), Kishore Divan (89), Shailesh Divan (86), and Gita Divan (84) were travelling from Buffalo in New York to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold in West Virginia, when they went missing since July 29.
The US authorities said that the family died in a car crash near a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road, which was barely five miles from their destination.
Also Read: Indian-origin family vanishes on US road trip, CCTV shows last seen at Pennsylvania Burger King
The four family members were on a road trip in a 2009 Toyota Camry travelling to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, a spiritual retreat in Moundsville, West Virginia.
They were last seen on July 29 at a Burger King outlet on Peach Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Tracing their journey
The four elderly family members started their journey in a light green Toyota Camry bearing a New York license plate (EKW2611) from Buffalo in New York. They had planned to visit the Palace of Gold on McCreary’s Ridge Road in Marshall County in West Virginia.
After starting from New York, the family visited a temple in Pittsburgh. The group then headed to Moundsville in West Virginia, where they were supposed to check into Palace Lodge Hotel, before visiting the temple. However, the authorities said that the four never checked into their pre-booked accommodation.
The family was spotted at a Burger King on Peach Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. The CCTV footage showed two members of the family entering the fast-food restaurant, marking the last confirmed sighting of the group. Their credit card transaction also confirmed their last location.
Also Read: Indian family, on way to US temple, dies in tragic car crash
The US authorities said that their vehicle was last detected on a Pennsylvania State Trooper’s License Plate Reader while travelling south on I-79 at around 2:45 pm on July 29. The location was around 60 kilometres from their destination.
Tragic death
The US authorities on Sunday confirmed that the four individuals were found dead in a vehicle crash.
Their vehicle was located at around 9:30 pm (local time) on Saturday off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road.
The site of the accident was barely five miles from their destination, Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, according to Google Maps navigation. The spiritual retreat in Moundsville was located at the edge of West Virginia, near the border with Pennsylvania. The final half-hour stretch to the temple was known to be a difficult terrain.
“The victims have been identified as Dr. Kishore Divan, Mrs. Asha Divan, Mr. Shailesh Divan, and Mrs. Gita Divan. Their vehicle was located on Saturday, August 2, at approximately 9:30 PM, off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road. First responders were on the scene for more than five hours,” Marshal County Sheriff Mike Dougherty said.
