Found Deceased Deonco Howard, drowned in Kanawha River, Kanawha County, WV

[imstilla.grandma]

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Search and rescue teams are resuming their efforts to locate a little boy who was in a vehicle that plunged into the Kanawha River in West Virginia.

Authorities said the six-year-old was sitting in his aunt's SUV and apparently knocked it into gear Saturday morning.

Katreece Wells was fishing off a boat ramp at the time and was hit by the vehicle.

The 44-year-old's body was recovered from the river last night.

Search continues for missing six-year-old in West Virginia

The incident occurred along the Kanawha River.

www.cbsnews.com

Witnesses tell investigators a woman and her nephew were fishing at the Shawnee Boat Ramp in Dunbar at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when the child apparently knocked a vehicle into gear and it rolled into the water.

Crews from multiple agencies are working to find a missing child in an SUV in the Kanawha River.

“The child had gone up to a large SUV to turn the headlights off and they believe he must have knocked the vehicle out of gear. The vehicle came rolling down and struck his aunt,” said Ana Pile with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.

Search for 6-year-old drowning victim to resume Sunday - WV MetroNews

Witnesses say the boy knocked a vehicle out of gear causing it to roll into the water near Dunbar.

wvmetronews.com

 

[GoBuckeyes]

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Search and rescue teams are resuming their efforts to locate a little boy who was in a vehicle that plunged into the Kanawha River in West Virginia.

Authorities said the six-year-old was sitting in his aunt's SUV and apparently knocked it into gear Saturday morning.

Katreece Wells was fishing off a boat ramp at the time and was hit by the vehicle.

The 44-year-old's body was recovered from the river last night.

Search continues for missing six-year-old in West Virginia

The incident occurred along the Kanawha River.

www.cbsnews.com

Witnesses tell investigators a woman and her nephew were fishing at the Shawnee Boat Ramp in Dunbar at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when the child apparently knocked a vehicle into gear and it rolled into the water.

Crews from multiple agencies are working to find a missing child in an SUV in the Kanawha River.

“The child had gone up to a large SUV to turn the headlights off and they believe he must have knocked the vehicle out of gear. The vehicle came rolling down and struck his aunt,” said Ana Pile with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.

Search for 6-year-old drowning victim to resume Sunday - WV MetroNews

Witnesses say the boy knocked a vehicle out of gear causing it to roll into the water near Dunbar.

wvmetronews.com

What a sad turn of events. I pray he's found alive. Parts of that river are really expansive. Anyone know the average depth where the vehicle went into the water?

 

[perfectingpink]

Kanawha Sheriff's Update

[...]

The search for the missing 6 year-old child resumed today. A couple of hours ago, his body was located in the river not far from where witnesses reported seeing him go under. The child has been identified as Deonco Howard from Dunbar. The sheriff’s office is saddened by the tragic incident and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families.

[...]

 

[swanniee11]

What a horrible tragedy. Prayers for Deonco and Katreece and their families. Heartbreaking!

 

[realanastasia]

Asking because I genuinely don’t know: is 1:30 AM a normal time for folks to go fishing in this area? Seems really odd to me, and it’s especially late, IMO, for a young child to be out—but maybe it’s not.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

Asking because I genuinely don’t know: is 1:30 AM a normal time for folks to go fishing in this area? Seems really odd to me, and it’s especially late, IMO, for a young child to be out—but maybe it’s not.

Seems odd to me as well. IMHO, MOO, etc.

 

[Knox]

Kanawha County Sheriff's Office​

On Saturday, June 18, 2022 at approximately 1:30 am a 911 call for service came in at Metro for a drowning at the Shawnee boat ramp. Investigators learned from witnesses who were fishing in the area that an adult female and male child had drown in the Kanawha River. The witnesses reported that the child had gone up to a large SUV to turn off the headlights.

The vehicle rolled down the boat ramp with the child inside. The vehicle struck the adult female but she was able to rescue the child from inside the vehicle before both of them went under the water. Investigators learned the female was the aunt of the child and they had been at the boat ramp fishing.

After many hours of searching the river, the body of the female was recovered. Initially, her name was believed to be Katreece Wells. However, it was learned this name was an alias and the actual identity of the female is Michelle Godsey, 31, from Ohio. During the evening hours, the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was recovered from the river.

The search for the missing 6 year-old child resumed today. A couple of hours ago, his body was located in the river not far from where witnesses reported seeing him go under. The child has been identified as Deonco Howard from Dunbar. The sheriff’s office is saddened by the tragic incident and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families.

Several agencies worked together during this incident to include: Institute Fire Dept.,
Charleston Police Dept., Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, West VIrginia State Police aviation unit, Glasgow Fire Dept.,
Nitro Fire Dept., St. Albans Fire Dept., WV Department Natural Resources Police,
Charleston Fire Dept., Kanawha County
Emergency management, Dunbar Police Dept.,
South Chas. Police Dept., Belle Fire Dept.,
West Side Fire Dept., Abbotts Wrecker Service, and United Diving.

Special thanks to the Red Cross for providing food and drink to the emergency personnel.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

DBM

Night fishing is pretty common. It's often something kids look forward to being able to participate in during a vacation or to mark summer break from school. It wouldn't surprise me if they weren't going to be wrapping things up in the next little bit, and then tragedy struck. (I'm not sure what time they started, but it always seemed to me that most people were wrapping up their fishing and packing up by around 2a.m.) This story is especially sad. Just an aunt and nephew spending time, doing what people have done for generations, and they're both gone. Life is so fragile and so precious. MOO

 

[GoBuckeyes]

My brothers make fun of me when I ask them to please wear life vests, even if they're only fishing from the bank. I didn't used to think about what ifs so much. But you never know how you might end up in the water or when you might be somehow incapacitated. Prayers for this family for much needed strength in the coming months.

 

[Tgrant1368]

I'm confused. Don't you have to have your foot on the brake to put the car into gear? I'm not thinking this vehicle had a column shifter near the headlights on/off switch to "accidentally" knock it into gear. Something seems off about this

 

[Knox]

I'm confused. Don't you have to have your foot on the brake to put the car into gear? I'm not thinking this vehicle had a column shifter near the headlights on/off switch to "accidentally" knock it into gear. Something seems off about this

I have a Tahoe, the story didn't make sense to me either. Maybe the car was running, the ramp is fairly steep. However it happened, what a tragic loss of life.

Body of boy who went missing in Kanawha River has been found, sheriff's office says

UPDATED, 6/19/22, 10:30 p. m. More information has been released by investigators regarding the drowning of a child and his aunt in the Kanawha River early Saturday morning. Initially, investigators believed the adult victim's name was Katreece Wells, according to a new release from the Kanawha...

wset.com

 

[YaYa_521]

Found Deceased - WV - 6 yr old boy, vehicle plunged into the Kanawha River, 18 June 2022

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Search and rescue teams are resuming their efforts to locate a little boy who was in a vehicle that plunged into the Kanawha River in West Virginia.

Authorities said the six-year-old was sitting in his aunt's SUV and apparently knocked it into gear Saturday morning.

Katreece Wells was fishing off a boat ramp at the time and was hit by the vehicle.

The 44-year-old's body was recovered from the river last night.

Search continues for missing six-year-old in West Virginia

The incident occurred along the Kanawha River.

www.cbsnews.com

Witnesses tell investigators a woman and her nephew were fishing at the Shawnee Boat Ramp in Dunbar at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when the child apparently knocked a vehicle into gear and it rolled into the water.

Crews from multiple agencies are working to find a missing child in an SUV in the Kanawha River.

“The child had gone up to a large SUV to turn the headlights off and they believe he must have knocked the vehicle out of gear. The vehicle came rolling down and struck his aunt,” said Ana Pile with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.

Search for 6-year-old drowning victim to resume Sunday - WV MetroNews

Witnesses say the boy knocked a vehicle out of gear causing it to roll into the water near Dunbar.

wvmetronews.com

May Deonco and Katreece aka Michelle rest in peace.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

UPDATE (11:06 a.m. on Monday, June 20): The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Michelle Godsey was wanted by Ohio police at the time of her death.

They say that she had removed a GPS bracelet at some point before she drowned.

---

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – Deputies say the body of a child who has been missingsince early Saturday morning has been recovered.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year-old Indiana resident Katreece Wells, later identified as Michelle Godsey, and 6-year-old Deonco Howard were fishing off the boat ramp in Dunbar around 1:30 a.m. on June 18.

Deputies say the child allegedly knocked a large SUV into gear and it hit Godsey and went into the Kanawha River.

They say that Godsey tried to rescue Denoco, but they both were swept underwater. Godsey’s body was found along with the vehicle on Saturday.

Woman who drowned in Kanawha River was wanted by Ohio police

UPDATE (11:06 a.m. on Monday, June 20): The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Michelle Godsey was wanted by Ohio police at the time of her death. Photo Courtesy: Allen County Sher…

www.wboy.com

 

[realanastasia]

Lima woman found slumped over steering wheel, jailed on drug-related charges - The Lima News

LIMA — A Lima woman was taken into custody on unspecified drug-related charges after she was found last week slumped over the wheel of her vehicle in

www.limaohio.com

This appears to be the deceased woman, so it’s possible this arrest is why she was apparently wearing an ankle monitor/GPS before this tragedy occurred.

 

[realanastasia]

Woman charged in drug trafficking case absconds

Apr. 20—LIMA — In an occurrence that judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike are finding annoyingly familiar, a defendant scheduled to appear in Allen County Common Pleas Court was a no-show Wednesday after reportedly cutting off her GPS ankle monitor and fleeing the area. All key...

news.yahoo.com

Lima drug dealer sentenced Thursday - The Lima News

LIMA — A Lima man — his children and other family members seated immediately behind him — choked back tears Thursday as he owned up to hi

www.limaohio.com

She cut off her ankle monitor in April, so she had been on the run since then. I do wonder how it happened that she was with her nephew at the time of the accident—hoping that the child’s parents were okay with (ot at least aware) of this!

 

[evilwise]

I see numerous reports of early '00s Tahoes not going into park. I speculate that her's also suffered this malfunction and she had been "parking" it in neutral with the emergency brake and the kid disengaged the emergency brake trying to turn off the headlights. Sounds like she basically sacrificed herself trying to save him but they both died. Really sad.

Kind of interesting that she was a fugitive from justice at the time but it doesn't sound like drugs were involved in this incident. Is Katreece Wells a pseudonym or is it someone else's actual identity? And which one is Deonco's aunt? Both?

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I'm confused. Don't you have to have your foot on the brake to put the car into gear? I'm not thinking this vehicle had a column shifter near the headlights on/off switch to "accidentally" knock it into gear. Something seems off about this

That's a good question. I have no idea of the answer, but great question. Hoping others can shed light on that.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I'm

UPDATE (11:06 a.m. on Monday, June 20): The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Michelle Godsey was wanted by Ohio police at the time of her death.

They say that she had removed a GPS bracelet at some point before she drowned.

---

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – Deputies say the body of a child who has been missingsince early Saturday morning has been recovered.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year-old Indiana resident Katreece Wells, later identified as Michelle Godsey, and 6-year-old Deonco Howard were fishing off the boat ramp in Dunbar around 1:30 a.m. on June 18.

Deputies say the child allegedly knocked a large SUV into gear and it hit Godsey and went into the Kanawha River.

They say that Godsey tried to rescue Denoco, but they both were swept underwater. Godsey’s body was found along with the vehicle on Saturday.

https://www.wboy.com/news/woman-who-drowned-in-kanawha-river-was-wanted-by-ohio-p

http://

UPDATE (11:06 a.m. on Monday, June 20): The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Michelle Godsey was wanted by Ohio police at the time of her death.

They say that she had removed a GPS bracelet at some point before she drowned.

---

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – Deputies say the body of a child who has been missingsince early Saturday morning has been recovered.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year-old Indiana resident Katreece Wells, later identified as Michelle Godsey, and 6-year-old Deonco Howard were fishing off the boat ramp in Dunbar around 1:30 a.m. on June 18.

Deputies say the child allegedly knocked a large SUV into gear and it hit Godsey and went into the Kanawha River.

They say that Godsey tried to rescue Denoco, but they both were swept underwater. Godsey’s body was found along with the vehicle on Saturday.

Woman who drowned in Kanawha River was wanted by Ohio police

UPDATE (11:06 a.m. on Monday, June 20): The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Michelle Godsey was wanted by Ohio police at the time of her death. Photo Courtesy: Allen County Sher…

www.wboy.com

I'm unclear on a couple aspects of the story. This article makes it sound like she removed the ankle bracelet shortly before the accident. It also indicates that she's a resident of Indiana. Don't most people with an ankle monitor have pretty restrictive terms concerning where they can go? I thought they usually had to stay within the county where their court case is working its way through the system, or, certainly within the state? I don't know that for sure. I guess I don't know how I formed that opinion. Does anyone know the usual terms on that and how far someone can travel?

Anyone know the charges she was facing?

Also, an early article indicated that she was a resident of Ohio. My first thought was, okay, that river runs along an area where Ohio, Kentucky, and WV come together, so they were camping or fishing local to their residence. However, then I read some reporting out of Lima, OH, in the NW quadrant of the state. Now the above article states she was a resident of Indiana.

Just wondering what's her state and county of residence? Were the little boy's parents in the general vicinity of the river? Live nearby?

The specifics don't make it less of a tragedy. I'm just trying to make sense of how the aunt and nephew wound up fishing at that location. Also, don't you need a fishing license to legally fish on public land/water? You'd think, if she applied for a WV fishing license, it might have alerted Indiana? Maybe it's only FB, Microsoft, Apple, and Google who track people that well, but seems like there should be some data sharing across agencies and states?? MOO

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Okay, getting a little clearer. So, she was wanted by police in Ohio, but she was a resident of Indiana, right? Maybe somewhere NE, Indiana not far from the line?

Wonder what caused her to go to WV in the first place? Family? Friends?

And did the boy's family know he was with her?

TIA for any information.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Woman charged in drug trafficking case absconds

Apr. 20—LIMA — In an occurrence that judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike are finding annoyingly familiar, a defendant scheduled to appear in Allen County Common Pleas Court was a no-show Wednesday after reportedly cutting off her GPS ankle monitor and fleeing the area. All key...

news.yahoo.com

Lima drug dealer sentenced Thursday - The Lima News

LIMA — A Lima man — his children and other family members seated immediately behind him — choked back tears Thursday as he owned up to hi

www.limaohio.com

She cut off her ankle monitor in April, so she had been on the run since then. I do wonder how it happened that she was with her nephew at the time of the accident—hoping that the child’s parents were okay with (ot at least aware) of this!

Oh, wow. Okay, that article explains quite a bit. So, maybe she and her husband were arrested at the same time.and charged similarly? Since he just received 10 years plus, minimum, she cut off her ankle monitor and fled. Still unclear how she ended up in WV. It would be awful if this little boy's parents have to deal with aiding and abetting charges (not saying they did) on top of their grief over his loss. If they are in that situation, I hope a judge will be lenient...if they are in that situation. They may not have known a thing.

It sounds like her husband made some positive steps while waiting for sentencing. The article states that he learned a trade and wants to be known for that when be re-enters society. I wish him well.