Tragedy struck a rural Illinois town when an 88-year-old couple was killed in flooding caused by heavy rains on Tuesday.
The lawmakers Jersey County Sheriff’s Office The department said it responded to a 911 call just before noon from a 70-year-old man who was trapped in his vehicle in floodwaters near Mill Creek, a rural area outside Elsah, Illinois.
The man told officers he saw another car behind him also trapped in the water and that he saw an older man outside the second car attempting to swim through the rapids.
Authorities said firefighters who arrived on scene had to walk through several areas of high water before they could reach the person who had called 911.
Upon arriving on scene, the caller was standing on the roof of his car with the water rising up to his feet. Another vehicle behind the caller’s vehicle was also submerged.
Police said the trapped caller was eventually rescued after the waters receded.
After the waters receded, emergency responders searching the scene found the body of an 88-year-old woman inside a second vehicle.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported that its conservation officers discovered the body of an 88-year-old man near Mill Creek.
Police later identified the two people killed as a couple, James “Terry” Dooley and his wife, Carolyn Dooley.
Both were active members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones as they work through this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said.
