Submerged car with body inside linked to 18-wheeler crash a month earlier, WV cops say

The body of a Pennsylvania man went undiscovered for more than a month after his SUV plunged off a bridge and sank in an icy lake, according to investigators in West Virginia.

Kevin C. Lataille, 59, was found 39 days after he encountered a jack-knifing 18-wheeler on Interstate 68’s Cheat Lake Bridge near Morgantown, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 3 news release.

His death went unnoticed because the trucker involved didn’t report an SUV fell from the bridge during the Jan. 19 crash, officials say.

“The driver of the tractor, identified as Sukhjinder Singh of New York, informed deputies that he lost control of his vehicle due to severe snowstorm conditions, resulting in the accident,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Later that day, the Morgantown Police Department received a missing person’s report for Kevin C. Lataille ... His family last spoke with him while he was driving home from his shift at Eat N Park in Morgantown.”

A regional search turned up no car and no body. But on Jan. 23, cell phone technology traced Lataille’s last known location to a spot near the Cheat Lake Bridge, officials said.

Detectives then began reviewing surveillance footage, which revealed “a large vehicle sliding on the bridge, throwing snow into the air, and a separate passenger vehicle falling from the bridge into the lake,” officials said.

Aerial drones confirmed the presence of a submerged vehicle. However, “severe weather and dangerous conditions” prevented recovery until Jan. 26 — when “Kevin C. Lataille was found deceased inside.”

An accident reconstructionist team determined the truck was traveling at an unsafe speed in hazardous conditions and collided with “another vehicle prior to reaching the bridge and failed to stop.”

“Further examination of Lataille’s vehicle confirmed damage consistent with a collision involving Singh’s tractor, specifically at the driver’s side rear of Lataille’s car,” officials said. “This impact ultimately sent the vehicle off the bridge and into Cheat Lake.”

Singh “denied striking any vehicles or driving recklessly,” but investigators say they found enough evidence to issue a warrant for his arrest on a negligent homicide charge, officials said.

On March 11, the sheriff’s office reported Sukhjinder had been located in California’s San Bernardino County and he was refusing to waive extradition regarding the warrants.

“We are working closely with the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to secure a Governor’s Warrant through the Office of Governor Patrick Morrisey,” the sheriff’s office said. “We remain committed to ensuring justice is served and will provide further updates as this process progresses.”

The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible, officials said.

Morgantown is about a 75-mile drive south from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Submerged car with body inside linked to 18-wheeler crash a month earlier, WV cops say."