Three juveniles died in a crash just south of Emporia on Saturday evening.
Lyon County Deputy Nathan Rankin says a 13-year-old Paxton Luby and two 17-year-olds, Chase Luby and Shelby Phoenix, died when a car left Road 147 near Road J about a mile south of Emporia and went into the Cottonwood River before sunset.
Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope tells KVOE News deputies responded to a suspicious person call in the 800 block of Road 147 after a possibly injured teenager was walking along the road. That’s when things turned for the worse.
All three victims were found inside the car and had passed away by the time authorities arrived. The survivor, identified as 15-year-old Ashely Edwards, was taken to Newman Regional Health. Her condition is unknown. Names have not been released.
Cope says the initial investigation shows the driver was eastbound on Road 147 and apparently lost control of the car, sending it through a line of trees into the river. At this time, it’s unclear what may have contributed to the crash.
Coffey County sent its dive team to help but it was not needed. Emporia’s dive team found the submerged vehicle and it was eventually towed out of the water.
