Missing teen from Bowling Green, Ky. found dead after tornadoes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The last person missing in Bowling Green after last weekend's violent storms was found dead Thursday.

Authorities confirmed it was the body of Nyssa Brown, 13, the last person found after 244 reports of missing people, according to the Bowling Green Police Department.

"It’s gut-wrenching. It’s hard to take," said Ronnie Ward, spokesman for the Bowling Green Police Department. "I didn’t even know Nyssa. I see the picture of her. Sweet, little girl. She goes to school right there close-by. And she had family and she's a human being and we all are. So it's just really hard."

Ward said Brown's body was found in a field Thursday morning near Moss Creek and Moss View in Bowling Green. The day before, officials expanded their search trying to find her.

"Everybody, everyone who had the ability to search," Ward said. "They've come here and helped and helped in some capacity."

Nyssa's mother and father, along with her three siblings, were also killed in Friday's storms, Ward said. Their bodies were found earlier in the week.

Coroner Kevin Kirby said there have been 17 storm-related fatalities in Warren County.

Here is the list of 17 confirmed fatalities in Warren County:

Cory Scott: 27-year-old male located at residence on Vanmeter Road in Rockfield, Kentucky
Mae F. White: 77-year-old female located at residence on Hillridge Court
Victoria Smith: 64-year-old female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Rachel Brown: 36-year-old female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Steven Brown: 35-year-old male located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Nariah Cayshelle Brown: 16-year-old female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Nolynn Brown: Juvenile male located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Nyles Brown: 4-year-old male located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Alisa Besic: Adult female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Selmir Besic: Juvenile male located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Elma Besic: Juvenile female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Samantha Besic: Infant female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Alma Besic: Infant female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue
Robert Williams Jr.: 65-year-old male death at Skyline Medical Center as a result of injuries sustained in storm.
Say Meh: 42-year-old female death at The Medical Center at Bowling Green as a result of injuries sustained in storm.
Terry Martin Jayne: 67-year-old male death at The Medical Center at Bowling Green as a result of cardiac arrest during storm cleanup.
Nyssa Brown: 13-year-old female located near residence on Moss Creek Avenue

Earlier this week, a survey team confirmed a tornado touched down in Bowling Green expanded from a width of 250 yards to a quarter-mile width near Veterans Memorial Lane. On Saturday morning, Warren County Judge Executive Mike Buchanan said hundreds of homes and business were damaged or destroyed.

The National Weather Service confirmed there were three tornadoes in Warren County.

Since Saturday morning, volunteers have helped neighbors pick up debris, feed those without access to electricity and drop off donations for those who have lost so much.

Ward said seeing Bowling Green pull together in times of tragedy does not surprise him.

"I want to say that it’s amazing, but what I want to tell you is I expected that," he said. "This was not something that was so surprising to me and I can’t look at that go, 'Wow, I’m surprised that that happened.' I'm not. That's just what Bowling Green does. They’re going to rebuild. We know they are. That's just what we do."

Lt. Gov, Jacqueline Coleman stopped in Bowling Green on Thursday to meet with city leaders and first responders, and tour the areas of town most impacted by the storm.

"It truly has been story after story on the ground that I hear about neighbors helping neighbors and being there for one another," Coleman said. "The spirit of Kentucky, in the worst of circumstances, is truly shining through. So for that, I am grateful."

Ward said community members have not just shown up for those who have suffered losses but also for first responders and work crews who have been working non-stop since Friday night.

"Our officers have been working 12-hour shifts. There's no one off. Our dispatchers have been working 12-hour shifts. There's no one off," he said. "But look, that’s not even the focus. That’s just what we do. That's what we need to do to be able to serve this community to the best of our ability, and we’re doing it."

Related Stories: