Body of woman who disappeared during heavy rain in Orange County found
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The body of a Person County woman who disappeared while on her way to work Sunday night has been found, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
Crews found the body about 5 p.m. It was the third area death blamed on Chantal.
The woman, whose name was released by authorities on Monday, went missing while driving to work during the heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Chantal.
Family members identified her as 58-year-old Monica Butner of Hurdle Mills. On Tuesday, the sheriff's office officially confirmed Butner's identity.
The sheriff's office said Tuesday that Butner called 911 at 10:30 p.m. Sunday and reported that her car was in floodwater on Wilkerson Road. The call disconnected several moments later. Firefighters soon found her unoccupied SUV near Whitetail Run, where a two-lane bridge crosses the South Fork Little River in the Cedar Grove community.
Crews searched all day for her until members of the South Orange Rescue squad found her about 120 yards from her SUV, the sheriff's office said. The search was hindered by debris and fallen trees, the sheriff's office said.
"Obviously, we hoped for a different outcome. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim's family, friends, and colleagues at this terribly sad time, and we ask for people to give them privacy as they process this tragedy," Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.
On Monday evening, Butner's son, Daylon Duke, told ABC11 that she was on her way to work as a caregiver for Alzheimer's and dementia patients when her car was swept away in the floodwaters.
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As recovery efforts continue after the historic and deadly flooding, Duke remembered his mother's dedication to her work and her generous personality.
"She was so selfless, the most giving person. She would give the shirt off her back. She always cared so much about everybody else," Duke said.
The past 24 hours have been an emotional whirlwind for Duke.
"I just, I'm trying to make it through it," he said.
Butner was driving from her home near the Orange and Person county line to her job at an assisted living facility in Hillsborough when her car was swept away near a creek just a few miles south of her home.
"So I went to her house, tried to check if she somehow walked home last night. Because I found her phone, I've got her name badge for the nursing home, I've got her scrub pants, you know, but her car was totally submerged," Duke said.
It is difficult to comprehend, but Duke is remembering the giving spirit that he says motivated her to the end.
"Her being on the road last night was not for her own reasoning. It was to go to work, you know, and that's what she loved," he said. "That was what she wanted to do. So at least she was doing something, you know, trying to make it to where she wanted to be."
Orange County was hard-hit by rain and flooding as Chantal moved through, causing damage to businesses, roads, and homes.
Duke said funeral arrangements for Butner have not been finalized.
"As I expressed yesterday, we wish this search had ended differently," Sheriff Charles Blackwood said Tuesday. "The devastating power of stormwater caused Ms. Butner's tragic death, despite the heroic efforts of searchers and the work of the top-notch professionals at Emergency Management, who coordinated the incoming resources. I am grateful to everyone who assisted with this search, and I offer my condolences to all affected by this tragedy."
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