88-year-old couple drown in Illinois flash floods before help arrives, deputies say

Tragedy struck a rural Illinois community as an 88-year-old couple died in Tuesday’s heavy rain flash flooding.

Deputies from the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a 911 call just before noon from a 70-year-old man who said he was trapped in his car in floodwaters near Mill Creek, in a rural area just outside Elsah, Illinois.

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The man told deputies that another vehicle was also trapped in the water behind him and that he saw an elderly man trying to swim in the swift current outside the second vehicle.

Authorities said they arrived at the scene and had to trek by foot through several high-water areas to reach the person who had called 911.

By the time they reached the scene, the caller was standing on the roof of his vehicle as the water continued to rise above his feet. Another vehicle behind the caller’s car was submerged.

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The trapped caller was eventually rescued when the waters receded, according to the deputies.

Emergency personnel searching the area found the body of an 88-year-old woman in the second vehicle after the water receded.

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The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported that their conservation police officers found the body of an 88-year-old man near Mill Creek.

Deputies later confirmed that the deceased individuals were a husband and wife, identified as James “Terry” Dooley and his wife, Carolyn Dooley.

Both were active members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to their family and loved ones as they work through this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said.

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