A South Carolina father and his young daughter were found dead after someone made a chilling phone call to his estranged wife. Jason Murph, 42, and his 6-year-old daughter, Michelle, were reportedly traveling together on December 16, the last time anyone heard from the pair. Murph's estranged wife allegedly became concerned when he didn't respond to her calls around 8 that evening.
The concerned wife and mother contacted the Richland County Sheriff's Department and reported her family missing. A search began for the father and daughter, but sadly, by the time emergency personnel found them, Murph and Michelle appeared to have died from exposure to cold temperatures, WLTX reported.
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Someone reportedly called Murph's estranged wife about an alleged accident.
According to a police report, the woman allegedly received a call from a person whose name was redacted from the report that told her Murph was in a car accident, WIS-TV reported. The caller said the car "slid off the road."
The woman told police she did not know where her husband and daughter were but that she heard the child yelling in the background during the phone call. Murph had been taking care of the girl for about two weeks and had talked to the mother that morning, according to WIS-TV. The mother reportedly texted Murph and asked him to call 911, but he didn't respond. That is when she called police for help.
Richland County Sheriff's Department personnel began looking for the father and child.
Per a post on the sheriff's department's Facebook page, Murph was last spotted near Highway 301 near Calhoun County in the early evening of December 16. He was driving a silver Toyota Tundra. Deputies asked the public for any information leading to the missing family. On December 18, the sheriff's office announced a tragic discovery.
"It is with saddened hearts we inform the community that Jason Murph and his daughter Michelle were found deceased today in Calhoun County," the post reads. "Richland County is continuing to investigate. This is not the outcome we wanted, please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers."
Murph and Michelle were reportedly found away from the vehicle.
Orangeburg County's K9 unit found Murph and Michelle's bodies about 100 yards away from Murph's heavily damaged vehicle, WIS-TV reported, adding that the vehicle appeared to have severe damage and was badly burned.
Despite the strange phone call, there seemed to be no witnesses to a car crash as no dispatchers in any of the responding counties answered a 911 call reporting an accident.
Autopsies did not conclusively find a cause of death.
WLTX reported that Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said the autopsies did not reveal an exact cause of death for the father and child, but he believes he knows what happened.
"Because of the elements," Porth told WLTX. "It wasn't below freezing by no means, but because of the wind and the rain, they become extremely cold, and I think it became an urgency for them to try to find help and try to find shelter."
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Porth believed the pair were trying to walk to the highway for help.
Because it was cold and wet, Murph likely got stuck and couldn't pull himself out.
"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," Porth explained, per WLTX. "I would ask everyone to keep family and friends and their prayers and thoughts."
He added that toxicology reports are pending but that no foul play is expected.
