Wife discovers husband’s body after he drowns in flooded basement, WV cops say
A problem with drainage in a West Virginia home led to a man drowning in his flooded basement, deputies said.
After receiving a call Jan. 10 about a drowning, first responders headed to the Valley Head house, according to a Randolph County Sheriff’s Office news release. When they stepped downstairs into the basement, they discovered a man’s body.
The 69-year-old went into his basement to check on his sump pump, a device meant to empty water from the basement to the outside, at about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9, according to deputies. At some point, he drowned in the basement, the sheriff’s office said.
It wouldn’t be until the next day when the man was found dead by his wife, per the sheriff’s office.
To recover the man’s body, responders had to pump out the floodwater from the basement, according to the sheriff’s office.
His body was sent for an autopsy at the medical examiner’s office in Charleston, West Virginia, deputies said.
There were no signs of foul play, but the man’s death is under investigation, according to deputies. His identity has not yet been released by the sheriff’s office.
Valley Head is about 175 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Wife discovers husband’s body after he drowns in flooded basement, WV cops say."
