Hurricane Florence: 2 Patients Chained in Van Drown While Being Transported by Cops
Source: 10 nbc news
Two female patients at a mental health facility drowned after they became trapped in a police van as it was overcome by floodwaters in South Carolina, authorities said.
Deputies with the Horry County Sheriff’s Office were transporting the two women, who have not been identified, to another facility on Highway 76 when they hit rapidly rising floodwaters, Sheriff Phillip Thompson said in a statement.
The women, who were shackled, became trapped inside the vehicle.
"Despite persistent and ongoing efforts, floodwater rose rapidly and the deputies were unable to open the doors to reach the individuals inside the van," Thompson said.
Read more: https://www.wsls.com/inside-edition/hurricane-florence-2-patients-chained-in-van-drown-while-being-transported-by-cops
Updated to confirm identities of the two women.
The Marion County coroner has identified the two women who drowned in a Horry County sheriff’s van on Tuesday night.
They are Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach and Windy Newton, 45, of Shallotte, N.C., coroner Jerry Richardson said.
Green and Newton were being transported from Conway to Darlington, according to the Horry County Sheriff’s Office. The two deputies involved were put on administrative leave, the sheriff’s office announced on Wednesday.
Read more here: https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article218651605.html#storylink=cpy
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Green’s sister paid tribute in a heartbreaking Facebook post. That post details Green’s battle with depression for twenty years. She was the mother of three children and had one child, Otto, pass away from bone cancer. Green sister wrote, “Our only comfort is that we know she is in Heaven with her son and that she is now at peace.” Green’s sister added, “The officers were on – what appears to be – a completely closed off, flooded road. Why they decided to try to drive through is beyond me. But it cost us my sister. She didn’t deserve to have her life ended this way. She was seeking help. She trusted people and they killed her.”
