Four elderly Indian American relatives from Buffalo, New York, were discovered deceased on Saturday night after a tragic car accident in West Virginia while they were on what was meant to be a spiritual pilgrimage to a famous religious location. Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty has identified the victims as Dr. Kishore Divan, aged 89; Asha Divan, 85; Shailesh Divan, age 86; und Gita Divan, 84 Jahre alt. The family was on a journey from Buffalo to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, a famous ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) religious location in Moundsville, Marshall County.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office reported that the victims’ vehicle, a 2009 lime green Toyota Camry with New York license plates, was found around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, down a steep embankment on Big Wheeling Creek Road. The site was about eight miles from their intended spiritual destination. Since they did not check into their intended hotel arrangements, the Divan family had been reported missing since July 29. This led West Virginia authorities to initiate an extensive search operation on Saturday, collaborating with law enforcement agencies from several states.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office reported in an official Facebook post that their vehicle was found on Saturday, August 2, at about 9:30 PM, off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road. The deadly accident was confirmed by Sheriff Dougherty, who also offered his sympathies to the victims’ families.
Religious Pilgrimage Shortened
The family intended to spend time in religious reflection and worship at the Palace of Gold, which is noted as a popular site for devotees looking for spiritual renewal and a connection to their faith traditions. People from all over the U.S. and abroad come to the ISKCON temple complex in Marshall County. The family’s disappearance prompted Western New York authorities to start working with officials from West Virginia, as reported by local news station WGRZ. This collaboration underscores the search effort’s multi-jurisdictional aspect.
As a retired physician, Dr. Kishore Divan was recognized by local Buffalo media, highlighting the family’s deep roots in the Western New York community. The tragic loss has reverberated across the local Indian American community in Buffalo and the wider religious community that visits the spiritual site in West Virginia. The circumstances of the crash are still being investigated by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Given the steep terrain along Big Wheeling Creek Road where the vehicle was found, it is possible that difficult driving conditions played a role in the accident.
Authorities have verified that the fatalities were due to the car accident, but the precise cause of the incident is still being examined. The car’s discovery in a remote area suggests that the family might have been traveling along unfamiliar rural roads on their way to their spiritual destination. This incident highlights the dangers that older travelers encounter, especially when traversing unknown landscapes on lengthy trips. What started as a spiritual journey for the family turned into a pilgrimage that ended in tragedy just miles from their intended destination.
The office of Sheriff Mike Dougherty in Marshall County has withheld further details about the accident while the investigation is still underway.
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