WASHINGTON — The body of a woman who went missing after helping a stranded motorist in Harford County, Maryland, over the weekend was found Monday afternoon.
Around 1 p.m. Monday, a body was found in the same area where search efforts were underway for 34-year-old Melissa Lehew. Later Monday, Maryland State Police identified that the body was Lehew.
Lehew, a Darlington, Maryland resident, had been missing since Friday after she was caught in floodwaters while helping a stranded motorist in the area of Route 136 and James Run in Harford County.
Lehew and another man tried to help the driver of the sedan who had been stranded; floodwaters had submerged the car up to its roof. At some point during the attempted rescue, Lehew fell and was swept over the bridge and into the rushing water.
The next morning, the body of the motorist, 67-year-old Daniel Samis of Abingdon, was found.
Authorities spend the weekend searching for Lehew. On Sunday, two Baltimore police divers assisting in the search were taken to shock trauma after having difficulties diving in the quarry near the area where Lehew disappeared.
An autopsy will be performed on Lehew’s body at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Maryland State Police said.
