Boyfriend Of Flood Victim Melissa Lehew Found Her: Report
BEL AIR, MD — The woman swept up in the Harford County flood was reportedly found by her boyfriend. Police said on Monday that a civilian located the body of Melissa “Elizabeth” Anne Lehew, 34, of Darlington.
Her boyfriend, Kyle Bowman, was the one who discovered her, according to multiple sources. The story has been reported by several local news outlets and has also got the attention of People magazine.
The couple had reportedly been on the way home from the store Friday night when they saw a car stuck on the Route 136/Calvary Road bridge at James Run Road around 6 p.m.
Bowman planned to turn around on Route 136, he told WBAL, but his girlfriend — who was “selfless” and a “great woman who would help anyone…got me trying to help.”
So Bowman grabbed some rope, which he told Patch he had in his truck because he works in tree service, as Lehew recorded the scene on the bridge with her phone.
Once he had tied the rope to his truck’s bumper, Lehew started to follow behind him; but when the water level jumped, he said they lost their grip on the rope and were swept into a guardrail.
Lehew was carried under the guardrail, where she clung to a telephone pole as he tried to pull her up.
“She just didn’t have the strength to fight the current,” he told Fox 45. “She just got swept away.”
Next, the disabled sedan washed off the bridge into Broad Run. Flood waters carried it a quarter of a mile away, where police said Daniel Samis, 67, of Abingdon, was found deceased on Saturday morning.
Lehew was located a little less than three days after she disappeared, on Monday afternoon.
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Bowman discovered her body Monday while kayaking near the quarry in Churchville, he told ABC 2 News. He thanked all those who searched, stating he was relieved to have found her and to be “able to bring her home.” Lehew was reportedly a mother of four.
Crews searched Friday night and all day Saturday, then suspended their efforts Sunday after two divers were airlifted for medical treatment from the Churchville Quarry. Police said the search continued Monday.
Friends and members of Mount Zion Church — where Lehew worshiped in Bel Air— joined the search with approval from police on Monday, The Baltimore Sun reported. They looked around the James Run creek, which travels alongside the quarry property.
After the group from Mount Zion finished searching and gathered for a prayer, Bowman went back to the quarry area, where he reportedly discovered his girlfriend’s body in the lake within 10 minutes.
Finding her gave “some closure” to a tragic set of events, Bowman said, telling the newspaper: “I felt like I was partly responsible.”
Officials said Lehew’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
Kyle Bowman was the last person to see Melissa “Elizabeth” Lehew on Friday, and he found her body while searching in his kayak on Monday, ABC 2 News reported. Still picture from WMAR-2 News/YouTube.