4 missing on trip to ‘America's Taj Mahal' found dead in WV mountains, cops say
The group of four — identified as Kishore Divan, Asha Divan, Shailesh Divan and Gita Divan — died in an apparent crash, and they and their vehicle were found Saturday, Aug. 2, at 9:30 p.m., the Marshall County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Authorities have not said what may have led to the crash, but the vehicle was located 'off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road' in northern West Virginia.
According to the sheriff's office, a family member called and reported that the group left from Buffalo earlier in the week and was heading to Prabhupada's Palace of Gold, but days passed and they never arrived, WIVB reported.
A motorist driving along Big Wheeling Creek Road noticed damage to a road sign and vehicle debris, which led deputies to the crash location, the station reported. The group ranged in age from 81 to 89, according to the station.
Big Wheeling Creek Road is about 5 miles away from Prabhupada's Palace of Gold.
The palace, sometimes referred to as 'America's Taj Mahal,' was constructed in the late 1970s, on top of what was once a garbage dump, by followers of the Hare Krishna movement, according to the Smithsonian. It is a shrine inside the community of New Vrindaban, in honor of Hare Krishna's founder, who died before construction was completed.
Investigators say there were signals from cell phones belonging to the group in the nearby areas of Moundsville and Wheeling on Wednesday, July 30, but they had not answered their phones since the previous day, WTRF reported.
The 'Divan family is a pillar of Indian Community of (Western New York),' the Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York said in an Aug. 3 Facebook post.
'It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing away of Dr. Kishore Divan, Mrs. Asha Divan, Mr. Shailesh Divan and Mrs. Gita Divan,' the post read. 'Dr. Divan's contributions to our community has been long and sustained. He was the founding member of Hindu Cultural Society of WNY and the India Association of Buffalo. Both Dr. Kishore Divan and Mrs. Asha Divan were well-known, familiar and recognizable faces in the Indian community. Their absence will leave a lasting void in our WNY community.'
New Vrindaban is a roughly 270-mile drive southwest from Buffalo.
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