Mystery grows after dad and his daughter, six, are found dead near their ‘broken down truck’ in rural SC on the way to grandma’s house – as police probe call where child was screaming moments before family lost contact

Although the coroner has determined that the father and his six-year-old daughter died of hypothermia, many questions remain about how they ended up stranded on their way to their grandmother’s house and what really happened in their final hours.

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph were traveling from Blythewood, S.C., to Orangeburg, S.C., to visit Jason’s mother – a trip of about 65 miles.

Murph’s ex-wife and the young girl’s mother said she last heard from them around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16.

Murph told her that his car crashed and he ran off the road and didn’t know where he was. A little girl could also be heard crying desperately in the background.

Two days later, Murph’s silver Toyota Tundra was found in a damaged and burned field near Interstate 301 in Calhoun County. Around 1 p.m., Richland County Sheriff’s Department officers and police K-9s found their bodies about 100 yards away.

The Calhoun County coroner said autopsy results were inconclusive and the couple died of hypothermia due to the weather conditions. Officials said there were no signs of foul play, but their deaths remain a mystery.

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph, six, were traveling from Blythewood to Orangeburg to visit Murph’s mother.

The crashed silver Toyota Tundra was found last Monday around 1 p.m. by officials near Lavender Lane in South Carolina, just off Interstate 26 near the 136 mile marker.

Murph’s silver truck (pictured) was captured on video stopping at an Exxon station an hour before speaking with his ex-wife and before the couple was reported missing.

The weather in South Carolina on December 16th was about 30 degrees Celsius.

Although temperatures were above freezing, the coroner said he believed weather played a role.

“Due to the elements,” Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Port said, according to WLTX. “It was by no means below freezing, but the wind and rain made them very cold and I think it became an urgent need for them to try to find help and find shelter.”

The coroner believed the truck was stuck in the mud and evidence at the scene indicated they were trying to free it. But due to friction as a result of unsuccessful attempts, a fire started on the grass.

“My best guess is that the car actually started igniting the grass probably around 10:30 p.m., but unfortunately once the fire was put out, I think that’s when they had to quickly get out,” Port said.

He said that he felt that they were walking together along a wet stream near this place, and the father drowned in the mud. Father and daughter were found next to each other.

“I feel like they walked together and unfortunately he was heavier than her and he sank into the mud and the more you fight, the deeper you go,” Port told the publication. “I would ask everyone to keep family and friends in their prayers and thoughts.”

The girl’s mother and father, although not together, both took care of their little daughter. Before the tragedy occurred, the girl had been in the care of her father for at least two weeks.

According to the police report, the mother said she heard her daughter screaming in the background. She told police that Jason hung up, refused to answer, and that his phone was dead.

Murph’s wife also sent him a message to call 911, but she also didn’t hear anything from him.

The silver truck was captured on surveillance camera at the Exxon station. The time stamp was approximately an hour before Murph spoke with his daughter’s mother. HAC news reported.

Father and daughter seen with Santa on previous holiday outing

The girl attended Sandlapper Elementary School in the Richland School District.

Quentin Murph, cousin of Jason Murph’s cousin, told locals WIS NewThe fact is that he “was not confused as to how the couple ended up in this place, since the place where they were found was not on the route to the grandmother’s house.”

He expressed regret that he could not help his loved ones.

“We’re sorry we weren’t there to help you when you needed us most,” he said.

“I just want to say that we love you and will always have fond memories of you.”