Little Girl & Her Dad Found Dead Side by Side on the Way to Grandma’s House

Tragedy struck a family's holiday season when a father and daughter were found dead side by side in Calhoun County, South Carolina. They were on the road together when the unexpected happened.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle, 6, were found dead in Calhoun County, South Carolina. They'd been missing since Saturday after a presumed car accident.

Following their disappearance, authorities conducted a search that concluded in a tragic discovery Monday afternoon. Autopsies were ordered on their bodies to determine their cause of death.

According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, Jason and Michelle's bodies were found approximately an hour after the former's truck was located. No foul play is suspected.

When authorities found the truck in a field, it was severely damaged and burned down. K-9 units helped officers track the father and daughter about 50 yards away.

Jason and Michelle were on the way to Orangeburg to visit Jason's mother. Unfortunately, the rest of their family lost contact with them at around 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Initially, Jason's wife assumed they had gotten into an accident and needed assistance. However, when they weren't on the highway where they were last seen, a more extensive search commenced.

When the autopsy results came out, they turned out to be inconclusive. However, Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth believes their death might have been due to hypothermia.

According to the information given by Jason's estranged wife, her husband informed her that he wrecked his truck and slid off the road. Jason ended up disoriented and couldn't determine where he was following the crash.

After the initial phone call, she could no longer contact her husband. The call abruptly ended amidst her hearing her daughter screaming.

Coroner Porth suggested that Jason attempted to free his vehicle from the mud, which led to a grass fire. When the fire was extinguished, the father and daughter tried to seek help.

"I feel like they were walking together, and unfortunately, he being heavier than she is, he sank into the mud, and the more you struggle, the deeper you go," Coroner Porth concluded.

Jason's cousin, Quentin Murph, remembered him as a joyful person. "He has the biggest smile, the softest heart, he's the warmest person. He'd do anything for you that he could," he shared.

In a similarly tragic story, a 5-year-old boy lost his life while on his very first holiday abroad. What was meant to be a special time for the family ended up being a heartbreaking one that they'll have to mourn for the rest of their lives.