A tragic end to a deeply worrying case has been confirmed: four Indian-origin members of a New York-based family who went missing en route to a spiritual site in West Virginia have been found dead. Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty announced on Sunday that the victims — Asha Divan (85), Kishore Divan (89), Shailesh Divan (86), and Gita Divan (84) — were discovered deceased following a vehicle crash.
According to media reports, the family had been travelling from Buffalo to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold in Marshall County, West Virginia, in a 2009 lime green Toyota Camry bearing the New York license plate EKW2611, authorities confirmed.
Dr Kishore Divan, 89, who worked in Williamsville, New York, specialised in anesthesiology, according to his records on WebMD. He graduated from a medical college in India in 1962.
“Marshal County Sheriff Mike Dougherty has confirmed that the four individuals who were reported missing from Buffalo, New York, have been found deceased following a vehicle crash,” the Sheriff’s office said in a social media post while revealing the names.
The crashed vehicle and the victims were reportedly located around 9:30 PM (local time) on Saturday, down a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road. First responders remained on the scene for more than five hours. Sheriff Dougherty extended condolences to the bereaved families and added that “further information will be released upon the completion of the investigation.”
On Facebook, a tribute by a fellow Indian-origin US resident, Uma Maheswari Krishnan, described Dr Divan as a “super-charged hero”, a physician, philanthropist and community leader. She also remembered Asha Divan as a kind-hearted person.
Dr Divan was active in management of local Hindu temples, his online activity showed. He was associated with the Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York.
The senior citizens were reportedly last seen at a Burger King outlet in Pennsylvania on July 29. CCTV footage showed two members of the group entering the restaurant. The last known credit card transaction was also traced to the same location, officials said.
Shortly, a Pennsylvania State Police license plate reader detected their vehicle traveling south on I-79. “The family was headed to Pittsburgh and then on to Moundsville, West Virginia,” Dougherty was quoted as saying.
A missing person’s report had been filed in Buffalo, New York, while deputies from both Marshall and Ohio counties in West Virginia carried out area-wide searches. The vehicle’s details were logged into the National Crime Information Center database.
In the meantime, the Council of Heritage and Arts of India (CHAI), a nonprofit based in Williamsville, New York, mobilised efforts to help locate the missing family.
The cause of the car crash has not been confirmed immediately.
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