The body of a 2-year-old Tennessee boy was reportedly found days after floodwaters ripped him from his mother’s arms last Saturday.
Kellen Cole Burrow’s mother had been holding her five children inside their Waverly, Tennessee, apartment when floodwaters swept him away in Nashville on Tuesday.
Body of 2-year-old boy found in Tennessee after flooding ripped him from mother’s arms
“I saw him that night when we put him to bed, but she had him in her arms every time he was taken away,” Kellen’s father, Kaleb McCord, told the station about his son and his wife.
McCord said his car was submerged in floodwaters, but he found a boat and eventually made it home to his family. He was also able to get several other community members to the boat.
The father said he witnessed his children clinging to telephone poles to avoid being swept away. The couple’s four other children survived.
“I couldn’t answer her, but she managed to save our other four children. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have children right now,” he said.
Rainfall reached record levels in Humphreys County last weekend with more than 17 inches in 24 hours. At least 18 people died. Among the missing was a 15-year-old girl.
The Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release that more than 270 homes had been destroyed and 160 suffered major damage.
“Some are just gone – off the foundation – twisted, transformed,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said at the news conference. “They would probably have to be completely destroyed before they could be rebuilt.”
Authorities revised the death toll from 22 to 18 this week after an unrelated death was counted and two unidentified people remained on the list after they were identified.
The flood destroyed roads, cell phone towers and telephone lines in the county of about 18,000 people, leaving some unsure if family and friends survived the unprecedented deluge.
