Authorities in Marshall County, West Virginia, confirmed the discovery of four elderly members of a New York-based Indian American family who were found dead on Saturday, just a few miles from their intended destination.
The victims have been identified as Asha Divan, 85; Kishore Divan, 89; Shailesh Divan, 86; and Gita Divan, 84. The family had been traveling from Buffalo, New York, to visit Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, a well-known religious site in Moundsville.
According to investigators, the Divans were last recorded at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29, when a Pennsylvania State Police license plate reader detected their vehicle heading south on Interstate 79. When they failed to check into their hotel, authorities in West Virginia launched a search effort.
A Facebook post by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office stated: “Their vehicle was located on Saturday, August 2, at approximately 9:30 PM, off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road. First responders were on the scene for more than five hours. Sheriff Dougherty extends condolences to the families of the victims. Further information will be released upon the completion of the investigation.”
Officials said the group was traveling in a 2009 lime green Toyota Camry with a New York license plate (EKW2611). The car, along with the four victims, was found roughly five miles from the Palace of Gold, their planned destination.
A Facebook user who visited the scene wrote: “Went up there last night to see if we could help and found them about 8 miles down the road from the temple they were going, my guess that they flew off the road, 100ft down the hillside.”
Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, built in 1973, is a renowned ISKCON spiritual retreat that draws devotees from across the United States. Initially intended as a residence for Srila Prabhupada, the site was transformed into a memorial following his death in 1977 and opened to the public in 1979.