3 dead after mom intentionally drives into Michigan river, police say

The Associated Press

5 years ago

Police remove a black sedan from the Kalamazoo River near Verburg Park, Tuesday morning, June 1 ... — Police remove a black sedan from the Kalamazoo River near Verburg Park, Tuesday morning, June 18, 2019, after finding the bodies of a mother and child inside the submerged vehicle, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Police believe a second child, who is missing, may also have been inside the vehicle when it entered the water late Monday evening. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Police remove a black sedan from the Kalamazoo River near Verburg Park, Tuesday, June 18, 2019, after finding the bodies of a mother and child inside the submerged vehicle, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Police believe a second child, who is missing, may also have been inside the vehicle when it entered the water late Monday evening. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Police search the Kalamazoo River near Verburg Park, Tuesday, June 18, 2019, after finding the bodies of a mother and child inside a submerged vehicle, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Police believe a second child, who is missing, may also have been inside the vehicle when it entered the water late Monday evening. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

This photo shows the spot on the Kalamazoo River near Verburg Park, Tuesday, June 18, 2019, where police found the bodies of a mother and child inside a submerged vehicle, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Police believe a second child, who is missing, may also have been inside the vehicle when it entered the water late Monday evening. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Authorities say they’ve found the body of a woman and her 9-year-old twin daughters after she intentionally drove a car carrying them into a southwestern Michigan river.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety says two upset girls told officers late Monday that a family member had driven a car into the Kalamazoo River. Chief Karianne Thomas says the girls had been in the car, but were let out before it was driven into the water.

Officers found the submerged car at Verburg Park. Thomas says they initially found the 44-year-old woman’s body and one child’s body, and the other child’s body was found Tuesday morning following a search.

Thomas says investigators were trying to determine why the woman drove into the water. Names of those involved weren’t immediately released.