5-year-old, mom among 3 found dead in SUV submerged in pond

Published June 14, 2017

State police say the three people found dead in an SUV submerged in a central New York pond have been identified as a mother, her 5-year-old daughter and a family friend.

Troopers say the bodies recovered by divers Tuesday evening in the Onondaga County town of Tully are those of 26-year-old Melissa Avery, her daughter Maryssa Houston, and 34-year-old Jamie Bell.

A relative reported them missing after they failed to show up Monday at a barbecue in the neighboring Cortland County town of Preble.

Police say a trooper checking out a damaged guardrail along a roadside pond spotted the Ford Explorer's roof in 10 feet of water.

Troopers say the vehicle hit the guardrail, went airborne and landed upright in the pond. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/5-year-old-mom-among-3-found-dead-in-suv-submerged-in-pond