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Mystery grows after dad and his daughter, six, are found dead near their ‘broken down truck’ in rural SC on the way to grandma’s house – as police probe call where child was screaming moments before family lost contact

Even though a coroner ruled a dad and his six-year-old daughter died of hypothermia, plenty of questions remain how they ended up stranded on the way to grandma’s house and what really happened in their final hours. 

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph were heading from Blythewood, South Carolina, to Orangeburg, South Carolina, to visit Jason’s mother – about a 65-mile ride.

Murph’s estranged wife and the young girl’s mother said the last time she heard from them was around 8pm on December 16. 

Murph told her that his car wrecked and he slid off the road. The little girl was also heard crying frantically in the background. 

Two days later, Murph’s silver Toyota Tundra was found in a field damaged and burned near Interstate 301 Calhoun County. Around 1pm, officers from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and police K-9s found their bodies approximately 100 yards away.



A Calhoun County coroner said their autopsy results were inconclusive and the pair died from hypothermia due to the weather elements. Officials said there were no signs of foul play, but their deaths remain a mystery.  

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph, six, were heading from Blythewood to Orangeburg to visit Murph's mother

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph, six, were heading from Blythewood to Orangeburg to visit Murph’s mother 

The wrecked silver Toyota Tundra was found last Monday around 1pm by officials near Lavender Lane in South Carolina, just off Interstate 26 near the 136-mile marker

The wrecked silver Toyota Tundra was found last Monday around 1pm by officials near Lavender Lane in South Carolina, just off Interstate 26 near the 136-mile marker

Murph's silver truck (pictured) was captured on video when he stopped at an Exxon station an hour before he spoke to his estranged wife and before the pair  was reported missing

Murph’s silver truck (pictured) was captured on video when he stopped at an Exxon station an hour before he spoke to his estranged wife and before the pair  was reported missing 

The weather in South Carolina on December 16 was in the low 30s.

Even though temperatures were above freezing, the coroner said he still believes weather played a factor.  

‘Because of the elements,’ Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said, according to 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.’

The coroner suggested the truck got stuck in the mud and evidence at the scene showed they made attempts to try and free it. But, a grass fire started from the friction in the failed efforts. 

‘In my opinion, the car actually started the grass fire probably about 10:30 p.m., but unfortunately, when the car fire was extinguished, I think that’s when they became urgent to get out,’ Porth said.

He said he felt they were walking together in a wet creek near the site and the dad sank into the mud. The dad and daughter were found next to each other. 

‘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 told the outlet. ‘I would ask everyone to keep family and friends and their prayers and thoughts,’ 

The girl’s mother and father, though not together, were both taking care of their young daughter. The youngster had been in her father’s care for at least two weeks before the tragedy happened.  

According to a police report, the mother said that she could hear their daughter yelling in the background. She told police Jason had hung up the phone and refused to answer and that his phone had died.

Murph’s wife had also texted him to contact 911, but she never heard from him as well.


The silver truck was captured on surveillance camera at an Exxon station. 

The time stamp was around an hour before Murph spoke to his daughter’s mother, WACH News reported.

The father and daughter seen with Santa at a previous holiday outing

The father and daughter seen with Santa at a previous holiday outing 

The young girl was a student at Sandlapper Elementary school in the Richland School District, 

Quentin Murph, the cousin of Jason Murph’s cousin, told local WIS News that he was ‘confused how the pair ended up at that location since the area they were found was not on the route to grandma’s house. 

He expressed his sorrow that he was unable to help his loved ones.

‘We’re sorry we weren’t there to maybe help you during the time you needed us the most,’ he said. 

‘I just want to say we love you and we’ll always keep you in our fondest memories.’ 

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