Autopsy Results Awaited after Six Die in Palestine Flooding

PALESTINE — Autopsy results are awaited after authorities found a sixth body following flash flooding in East Texas that also killed a woman and her four great-grandchildren. The latest victim was identified as Giovani Olivas, 30, Palestine, who was swept under flood waters. Palestine police say all six bodies have been taken to Tyler for autopsies, which were due to be completed on Monday.

More than 7 inches of rain fell in less than an hour late Friday evening, swamping a neighborhood and forcing some people onto their roofs. Around 3:45 a.m., the Palestine Police Department received reports about a missing family from the area and sent officers to search the houses in waist-deep water. The Palestine Herald-Press reports that Merta White was waiting to be rescued from the roof of her house when she saw a bump in the water. She told the newspaper: “I thought it was a mailbox, but then I realized what it really was, and I started screaming.” The bodies of two children were found in the front yard of a residence near the street. A continued search found the bodies of an adult female and two more children. They’ve been identified as Lenda Asberry, 64, Venetia Asberry, 9, Devonte Asberry, 8, Von Anthony Johnson Jr., 7 and Jamonicka Johnson, 6.

Because families have located a safe place to stay, Red Cross sheltering operations will wind down Tuesday and the attention will turn to casework services, according to a Red Cross news release. Any family who can’t stay in their home because of storm damage is urged to contact the American Red Cross at 1-866-505-4801.