At least seven people across Indiana have died of storm-related causes after heavy winds and flooding swept the state this week, according to local authorities and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
The storms prompted President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to assist relief efforts in over half of the state’s 92 counties.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
James Briar, 31, rides bike into a sinkhole
Bicyclist James Briar died when he fell into a sinkhole in New Castle, the Henry County Coroner Brian Clark told IndyStar.
Investigators believe the 31-year-old rode his bike around traffic barriers and crashed into a hole on Riley Road. Briar’s body was discovered just before 4 a.m. Aug. 16, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Clark said.
The road had crumbled when heavy rain and flooding struck the city about 50 miles east of Indianapolis earlier this week.
Matthew Morey, 19, dies after jumping into river
The search for missing Albany teen Matthew Morey ended Aug. 15 after Delaware County officials recovered his body from the Mississinewa River, the Star Press in Muncie reported.
Morey, a Purdue-bound Delta High School graduate, went missing Aug. 12 when he and three friends jumped off a bridge and into the river. Emergency responders were called to the scene and removed the other three men from the river, but Morey, 19, was not found.
Heavy rain the next two days stalled search efforts, but responders returned to the river Aug. 15 and recovered Morey’s body about 200 yards from the bridge.
Morey is one of two Delaware County residents who died in the wake of Indiana’s historic rainfall and flooding.
“Our hearts are with Matthew’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved him,” Jeff Stanley, chief deputy of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, said. “From the beginning, we made a commitment to Matthew’s family that we would not give up until they had answers. Today, that search has come to an end.”
Current swept Stephanie Sallee’s car off road; dog also died
A 58-year-old Muncie woman and a dog both died after her vehicle was apparently swept away by moving water that covered the road, the Muncie Star Press reported.
Authorities found the woman’s body in a cornfield southwest of Muncie around 2 p.m. Aug. 14, about 50 feet away from her disabled vehicle.
The woman, pronounced dead at the scene, was later identified as Stephanie Sallee, the Delaware County coroner said.
Investigators believe Sallee was trying to “travel through moving water covering the roadway when her vehicle was swept from the road by the strong current.” She apparently tried to exit her vehicle and was overcome by the moving water, police said.
First responders found a dead dog in her car.
Northwest Indiana’s Paula Plebanski struck by roofing material
A 58-year-old Lake County woman died Aug. 11 in a storm that downed trees and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in northwest Indiana.
The woman, Paula Plebanski, died from multiple blunt-force injuries after she was struck by roofing material, according to the Lake County Coroner.
Authorities found her near a parking lot along the Dunes Highway in Gary about 12:20 p.m. CDT on Aug. 11.
Leona Rice, 86, dies in home explosion
An 86-year-old woman described as a kind neighbor died in a home explosion in Portage on Aug. 11.
The woman, Leona Rice, died from blunt-force trauma related to the explosion, Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes told IndyStar on Aug. 16.
Neighbors told the Post-Tribune that Rice was in her home during an explosion on Aug. 11, the day that strong winds felled trees and knocked out power in the area. They said Rice was a quiet, friendly woman whose husband was away from the house when it exploded.
The explosion remains under investigation.
Jennings County child dies after tree falls on home
A 4-year-old southern Indiana boy died after a tree fell on his home Aug. 11 as strong winds pummeled Jennings County, according to news reports.
A tree crashed through the back bedroom of a Geneva Township home and trapped the boy, officials said. Three other people were inside when strong winds moved through the area around 3:30 p.m. that day, but they were unharmed.
One more death in northwest Indiana
A man in LaPorte County also died in a storm-related car crash, according to state and local officials. No further information has been released.
(This story will be updated.)
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Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
Contact IndyStar Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: At least 7 dead. What we know about Indiana storm, flood victims
Reporting by Heather Bushman and Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Heather Bushman and Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
