The State Medical Examiner has confirmed that the remains found Tuesday in Caldwell are those of missing teenager Mykala Phillips.
Phillips, 14, was swept away from her family in the waters of the devastating June 23 flood. She was tied to family members with an extension cord, but the cord broke loose and she was pulled away by the rushing waters.
Phillips lived in the Mill Hill neighborhood of White Sulphur Springs, an area that was heavily damaged by the flood. She was a rising ninth grader who would have entered Greenbrier East High School this month.
Phillips was the last remaining missing person after the widespread flooding. The discovery of her body brings the Greenbrier County flooding death count to 16.
On Tuesday evening, the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office announced that a body had been recovered from a debris pile near Howard’s Creek in Caldwell, about six miles from Phillips’ home.
“It’s been a Herculean effort for the past seven weeks to recover all of the people that died in the flood,” Sheriff Jan Cahill said.
Phillips’ body was discovered by a bloodhound, Lady Bird, owned by Dave Weik of Appalachian Bloodhounds in Dunmore, Pocahontas County. Cr
ews had redoubled their efforts this week to search for the missing teen.
