LOUISVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Winston County’s five female and four male tornado victims ranged in age from 31 to 85.
County Coroner Scott Gregory released the names Wednesday after the bodies sent to local funeral homes. Gregory said that all of the victims suffered multiple trauma, and it’s hard to pinpoint a single cause of death for any.
“Some were found in rubble, some were blown into open areas,” said Gregory, who has been the coroner since 2004. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Four were injured either at the Eiland Plaza apartments or in a neighboring subdivision on the south end of Louisville.
Two of the dead, Terri Tucker and Sean Fowler, have been described as the parents of the missing 8-year-old boy for whom officials are still searching. The parents were found more than a half-mile from their home near Mississippi Highway 392 in an area of splintered pine trees and debris.
“The area has been searched and searched again,” said Buddy King, Winston County Emergency Management Director.
King said the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is using GPS technology to conduct a precise search. He said cadaver dogs also have been used to search for the boy but have not found anything.
King said there’s a chance the child was blown farther away.
The death toll remained at 12 Wednesday, with dozens of injuries reported for hundreds of miles stretching across the state.
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