The victim was 43-year-old Jennifer Brewington, according to the family.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County woman was found dead near power lines in her backyard early Saturday morning, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a statement. The department is investigating the death as a possible electrocution.
The power lines were likely downed by Friday night’s severe weather. It is the first weather-related death in connection with the Friday night storms.
The department said it happened in the yard of a home on the 3000 block of Wintergreen Drive in Florissant. Officers were called to the area just after midnight and found her body on the ground at around 12:15 a.m.
5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend spoke with the victim’s family, who said she was 43-year-old Jennifer Brewington.
“Just shock, numb, don’t know what to think, don’t know what to say,” Jennifer’s fiancée Ethan Foss said. “It’s been hard all day. Didn’t sleep much.”
Ethan said shortly after 11 p.m. Friday night, Jennifer first spotted a small fire in their backyard.
“She found one of the trees was on fire back there so okay, call 911, got that taken care of,” Ethan said.
Ethan said about 15 minutes from when he called her from work, she was fine and preparing for bed. The couple lived in the home with her mom.
“She and her mom then came back upstairs and she said okay, I’m gonna eat a bowl of cereal and got to bed, and I said good night. Love you and I’ll see you in the morning,” Ethan recalled.
But when Jennifer’s mom couldn’t find her, she became worried. “The back door was open which was unusual because we have a cat and dog,” he said.
Sadly, her mother found her only child had been electrocuted in their backyard. Firefighters found her body next to a downed power line.
“She was a loving, caring person, helped everybody out as much as possible,” Ethan said.
Ethan and Jennifer were to be married in October.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” he said.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm this death due to Friday’s severe weather,” said County Executive Sam Page. “This heartbreaking tragedy underscores that downed power lines are extremely dangerous, and they are not always visible.”
In a Saturday morning press conference, St. Louis County Director of Emergency Management Michele Ryan advised residents to stay away from storm debris due to the risk of downed power lines.
If you see a downed power line, do not approach it. Instead, you are asked to call Ameren at 800-552-7583 to report it. If you see any other unsafe conditions or storm damage, call your local police department or the United Way at 211.
Ryan said Florissant was one of the hardest hit areas in St. Louis County. Florissant’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebration was canceled to reduce the impact on city services, and help with storm cleanup.
RELATED: Florissant cancels St. Patrick’s Day parade, events due to significant storm damage
The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed at least a dozen storm-related deaths by Saturday afternoon, including one in St. Louis County.
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