Breaking: 4 Dead After Family Trip Turns Fatal

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4 Dead After Family Trip Turns Fatal

Four people are dead after a family tubing outing on the Dan River turned fatal. Nine family members began their trip down the river at around 7:30 p.m. on the evening of June 16, just before dark. At some point during their trip, the tubes went over a Duke Energy dam in Eden, North Carolina.

Just after 3 p.m. the next morning, a Duke Energy employee spotted four people at the bottom of the dam and called rescue services.

According to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, the dam is around an eight foot drop. Duke Energy has confirmed that the dam is not hydroelectric and does not have turbines, and is instead just a small impoundment dam.

Rockingham County Emergency Services Director Rodney Cates reported that he was unsure whether any of the victims were wearing life jackets.

Cates also said that he believes the people on the tubes did not have a way to call for help, which is what led to the delay in rescue efforts.

The four people spotted by the Duke Energy employee were all successfully rescued, including Rueben Villano, 35, of Eden, Eric Villano, 14, of Eden, Irene Villano, 18, of Eden, and Karlos Villano, 14, of La Porte, Indiana.

Initially it was reported that three people had died, and their bodies had been found, leaving two people still missing.

The bodies found belonged to Bridish Crawford, 27, of Eden, Antonio Ramon, 30, of Eden, and Sophie Wilson, 14, of La Porte, Indiana.

The two missing family members were Teresa Villano, 35, of Eden, and Isiah Crawford, 7, of Eden.

The body of Isiah Crawford has since been found after someone called 911 around 10:02 a.m. on June 20 to report a body in the water.

The search for the Teresa Villano is still ongoing.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the victims and families of this tragic incident,” Cates said. “We are very grateful for the men and women from the multiple jurisdictions and agencies who have invested many hours into this operation. We are also very grateful for the community support that we have received.”

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