COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WRIC) — Community members in Colonial Heights are distraught after a woman was found dead in a car submerged underwater in Swift Creek on Dec. 16.
The Chesterfield County Police Department identified the woman as 56-year-old Patricia K. Grant of the 12100 block of Chestertowne Road in the Chester area of Chesterfield County.
According to Chesterfield County officials, at around 8:53 p.m., fire and EMS crews from Chesterfield and Colonial Heights, as well as Colonial Heights Police officers and Virginia State troopers responded to a report that a vehicle had driven into the water on the 400 block of White Bank Road in Colonial Heights.
A neighbor said she called 9-1-1 after a dark blue car came barreling onto her driveway and the driver approached her, asking to use her phone to call the police as his was dead.
“He asked me if I could call 9-1-1 because his friend had taken a wrong turn — turning right instead of left coming out of the Moose Lodge and had gone down into the water,” she said. “Her car was in the water and she was floating around and he was scared and worried about her, so of course I called 9-1-1.”
The neighbor said that, within minutes, she saw lights and sirens coming down White Bank Road.
“They responded so quickly. I thought for sure they’d be able to rescue her,” she said. “I guess with it being dark outside in the current, they weren’t able to, which I’m sure is devastating for them and her family, it’s very sad.”
Pierre Harper of Petersburg told 8News he came to the scene of the incident after hearing what had occurred on the news. After taking a look at the area, Harper says he understands how a situation like this could have happened.
“It’s just a little hill coming down, no lights at all and no barricade. The park closes it at dark,” said Harper. “They [could] close [with] a barricade down and to prevent that from happening, but it’s not here and anyone coming down — in the dark, they don’t know the area…it could happen, I could see that.”
Chesterfield Police confirm this is an ongoing investigation and have told 8News “at this point foul play is not suspected.”
Stick with 8News as this is a developing story.
