A North Carolina man held out hope for his missing fiancée after she was swept away by Hurricane Helene. Sadly, after days of searching, loved ones announced that her body had been found.
Family members of Julie Le Roux told NBC affiliate WRAL-TV that after days of searching, her body was recovered by first responders on Friday, Oct.4.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of John’s fiancé [sic], Julie,” John Norwood’s sister Maggie wrote in a message shared on a GoFundMe page. “Unfortunately she did not survive the storm.”
“We take comfort in knowing she is at peace and no longer suffering. Julie was such a kind hearted soul, absolutely a match made in heaven for John. Now we must learn to navigate life without her,” his sister added. “Asking for prayers for peace and acceptance. See you in the wind, baby girl.”
John Norwood and Julie le Roux.
Missing in McDowell Helene 2024 Facebook
“Thank you all for your continuous prayers and support,” Maggie wrote in a separate post on Facebook. “The Marion community showed up and showed out and I can’t express how much that meant to us. Now we pray for peace and acceptance.”
McDowell County officials stated in a press release Friday that one fatality has been reported related to Helene thus far, though they did share the identity of the deceased.
A collapsing home in Marion, N.C.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Norwood previously said he and his fiancée took shelter at a neighbor’s house in the mountains of Marion during the storm, according to ABC News, WRAL-TV and The News & Observer. However, as waters rose around the house, it was knocked down, and they got separated.
“I crawled around screaming, looking for her, and I just couldn’t find her,” he told ABC News in tears, adding that they all “got washed downriver.”
Norwood was eventually rescued and hospitalized for his injuries, but has since been released.
Speaking withThe News & Observer before Le Roux’s body was found, he said he was “praying for a miracle.”
NBC News reported that as of Friday, over 220 people have been reported dead in the aftermath of Helene and hundreds more are still unaccounted for. Homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood Randall previously told ABC News that there could be up to “600 people unaccounted for.”
“It’s hard to describe,” Capt. Chad Arnold told PEOPLE earlier this week of Helene, which made landfall on Thursday, Sept. 26, as a Category 4 hurricane.
“It’s a biblical event, something you would never expect to see or witness,” he said. “The devastation is so bad.”
