Missing mother and child found dead in creek, stuck in upside-down car, NC cops say

A woman and child listed as missing have been found dead in a vehicle that flipped off the road into a mountain creek, according to investigators in North Carolina.

The two were identified as Paige Alexandra Johnson, 28, of Newland, and her 3-year-old daughter, WLOS reports. It’s believed Johnson lost control of her 2002 Ford Ranger and went into the creek after striking a tree, the station said.

“The two were reported missing (Feb. 17) by family members and were entered as missing into a national database,” the Avery County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 18 news release.

“A search was initiated in an attempt to locate both mother and child. On the morning of February 18 … the victim’s vehicle was located overturned in a creek off U.S Hwy 19 E near the Cranberry community.”

Searchers found the mother and her child in the vehicle, and it’s believed they died of injuries caused by the collision, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators have not revealed when the two were last seen by family members or where they were headed at the time of the crash.

The N.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, officials said.

Maps show U.S. 19 in the area is a two-lane winding road with little in the way of street lighting.

Cranberry is an unincorporated community about an 80-mile drive northeast of Asheville.

This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Missing mother and child found dead in creek, stuck in upside-down car, NC cops say."