3 Mormon missionaries die in 2 separate incidents The LDS Church has suffered two tragedies with three missionaries who have died continents apart. Sister Nancy Vea, of West Jordan, died Saturday and two elders from Springville and Taiwan died in their apartment. More Coverage LDS missionary critically injured in Oklahoma car accident SALT LAKE CITY — An LDS missionary critically injured in a Friday car crash in Oklahoma has died and two other missionaries serving in Taiwan were found dead in their apartment, church officials confirmed Saturday. Sister Nancy Vea, 19, of West Jordan, was taken by medical helicopter to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa and was on life support, said Jessica Moody, a spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She died at the hospital. Moody also confirmed that another Utah missionary, Elder Connor Benjamin Thredgold, of the churchs Springville Utah West Stake, was found dead in his apartment, along with Elder Yu Peng Xiong, of the Kaohsiung Taiwan West Stake. Both were serving in the Taiwan Taipei Mission. Authorities have not yet determined the official cause of their deaths, but Moody said no foul play is suspected. Elder Xiong, age 24, had been serving as a missionary since March of 2013. Elder Thredgold, age 19, began his mission in March of 2014, Moody said. We pray for their families and for all those who knew them, and express our love and deepest sympathies at this tragic time.” Vea had been serving since May in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission. Two church members and three other missionaries were also in the vehicle. They were treated at a local hospital and are expected to fully recover, Moody said. Around 8:30 a.m. Friday, the van with Vea was heading south on the Muskogee Turnpike in Wagoner County. The driver of the van, identified as a church member but not a missionary, attempted a U-turn at a cutout in the concrete barrier, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Betsy Randolph. A semitrailer following behind applied its brakes. The semitrailer was hit from the rear by a Freightliner 16-passenger bus, according to investigators, pushing it into the van. Vea was not wearing a seat belt, Randolph said, and was ejected from the car. The cutouts where the driver attempted the U-turn are generally reserved for law enforcement, Randolph said, and are risky to use for U-turns. On Saturday, Veas family released a statement. As a family, our hearts are broken at the death of our beloved daughter, sister and granddaughter. Her large family and her many friends will miss Nancy terribly, but we find comfort in knowing that she is in the arms of a loving Savior. Nancy was a happy, good and faithful daughter who had a gift for sharing her love and testimony with others, the statement said. She told us before her mission that it was her way of giving back to the Savior for the blessings she and her family have received. As her family, we have chosen to donate her organs. We know this is what she would want and we hope that other lives and families will be blessed by her selfless gift. We believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ, and know that we will see Nancy again someday because of His sacrifice. This knowledge gives us hope and great comfort as we mourn her passing and celebrate her life.” Vea left for her mission from Aurora, Colorado, where her family was living at the time.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:13:31 +0000
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