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Missing 13-year-old Kentucky girl found dead following tornadoes

APTOPIX Midwest Tornadoes One Street
Posted at 2:25 PM, Dec 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-16 16:25:47-05

Officials in Kentucky say out of all the 244 people reported missing in Bowling Green after a deadly tornado swept through four states over the weekend, only one person was left unaccounted for.

But five days after the deadly storms, the Bowling Green Fire Department announced in a news conference on Thursday that the search for 13-year-old Nyssa Brown came to a sad conclusion after her body was found in a wooded area around 11 a.m. local time.

"What makes this even more tragic is that Nyssa was the final member of her family to be found," the department said.

The department said Nyssa was the seventh member of her family to be found dead.

According to local reports, those related to Nyssa who died were her mother, 36-year-old Rachael Brown, and father, 35-year-old Steven Brown, her grandmother, 64-year-old Victoria Smith, and her siblings, Nariah Cayshelle, 16, Nolynn, 8, and Nyles, 4.

Officials say at least say 74 people died in Kentucky alone, and Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll could continue to rise.

President Joe Biden visited Kentucky on Wednesday to tour and survey the damage.