Three Dead In Mortifying Murder-Suicide & Failed Rescue Attempt
(UnitedReader.com) – Emergency personnel put their lives on the line every day to protect their community. It’s tragic that not all of them make it home. Unfortunately, that’s how it was for one volunteer firefighter who attempted to save a woman and her daughter.
An emergency service director says two people died after a car went into a river in West Virginia, and a volunteer firefighter also died while trying to save them. https://t.co/GWiOpbVNyU
— WTRF 7News (@WTRF7News) May 2, 2022
John D. Forbush, a 24-year-old volunteer firefighter in Gassaway, West Virginia, heard news of a vehicle that drove into the Elk River in Sutton, West Virginia, about a mile from his location. He arrived on scene, reporting back that it appeared there were victims trapped inside the sinking car. Forbush immediately jumped into action, diving into the water. Unfortunately, that would be the last time he stepped foot on land. The firefighter, along with the mother, Latonya Bell, and her 8-year-old daughter, Havana Pipkins, died.
Authorities pulled his body from the river around two hours after his attempt to save them. The remains of Bell and Pipkins went to the local medical examiner’s office. The Braxton County Sheriff’s Office later determined Bell intentionally drove her vehicle into the river in a murder-suicide. The mother/daughter pair were originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
Forbush leaves behind his own 1-year-old daughter, and his significant other, Amber Frame. A GoFundMe page is in place to help with funeral costs and give aid to Forbush’s spouse and remaining child.
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