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NELSON Co., Va. (WDBJ) – Virginia State Police Search & Recovery Team (SRT) divers continued their efforts on Friday aiming to find two additional bodies said to be missing after a vehicle went into Rockfish River near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in late 2022.
One body was found and taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner for examination, autopsy and positive identification.
“The divers continued their search efforts on the river for the remainder of the day. The SRT will return again this week to resume searching for the remaining missing person,” according to State Police.
See below for the full previous update from January 5, 2023:
“At 11:41 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2022, the Virginia State Police was alerted to a submerged vehicle in the Rockfish River near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in Nelson County. State police is still working to determine the exact date the vehicle was washed into the river.At this stage of the investigation, it appears that a 1997 Toyota 4Runner tried to cross the flooded Rockfish River at a low river crossing on Bridgeport Lane and was swept away by the strong current. The crossing is on private property.The bodies of Christopher W. Doss, 17, of Arrington, Va., and what are believed to be the remains of an 11-year-old male were located on the riverbank. State police is still waiting for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond to confirm the identity of the younger juvenile.
Once the Toyota was retrieved from the river, troopers recovered the body of Pharoh M. Shabazz, 30, of Arrington, Va., from inside the vehicle.State police are told there were two additional individuals inside the Toyota – an 18-year-old male and a 12-year-old male. VSP Search and Recovery Team divers returned to the Rockfish River on Jan. 3, 2023 to resume search efforts for the two still believed missing. Unfortunately, the daylong search efforts did not result in the bodies being located. The VSP SRT divers are continuously assessing the water levels to determine which day is best to return and conduct another search of the river.
VSP Aviation Division, Virginia Department of Emergency Management search teams, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office have been assisting with the ongoing search and investigative efforts.
None of the individuals were related. The incident remains under investigation.”
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