18-07-2025
2 charged in death of 13-year-old swept away in river current, WV cops say
Two people are charged in the death of a 13-year-old girl who was overtaken by a current while swimming in the Ohio River, West Virginia police said.
Ashley Shelton, 29, and Joshua Lockerbie, 34, were arrested July 16 on multiple charges, including child neglect causing death in connection with the June 30 death of Reese Hanshaw, Weirton police said, according to WTOV.
Reese was swept away in a river current just before 7 p.m. near the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Brooke County, McClatchy News reported.
She died at a hospital despite efforts to save her, according to police.
Becky Watlet, Reese's aunt, said she drowned while rescuing another child on the river trip, according to a July 1 Facebook post.
'Reese heroically gave her life saving her cousin's little boy, who was swept away by a sudden rip current,' Watlet said.
According to an investigation, Shelton and Lockerbie took six children to swim when the water levels were dangerous due to rain, WTAE reported.
Shelton and Lockerbie knew none of the kids could swim very well, and there were no flotation devices to help them, authorities said, according to the outlet.
They are both being held at the Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville on a $150,000 bail, according to jail records.
Reese was remembered as having a 'bright and creative spirit,' according to an online obituary.
'Our Sweet Angel Reese was a bright light in all our lives — full of laughter, love, compassion, and courage,' Watlet said in a July 8 Facebook post.
