Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford has confirmed that the married couple who killed when a tree fell on their campsite during Friday evening’s storm are former Circuit Court Clerk John Paul Mathes and his wife.
Shortly before 8 p.m. on Friday the Carter County Sheriff.s Officers responded to the Fish Springs Community in reference to a report of a tree that fell on a boat that was occupied. Upon arrival, first responders discovered that two individuals were crushed by a tree that had fallen on their campsite located close by. Sheriff Lunceford, Chief Deputy James Parrish, as well as Investigators from the Criminal Investigations Division responded to the incident site.
“Members of the Carter County Rescue Squad were on the scene conducting rescue of the individuals,” Lunceford said. “After extensive rescue operations, the effort changed to a recovery of the persons. The coroner was contacted and arrived on scene where he pronounced the deaths of the two individuals.”
The man and woman were identified as John Paul “JP” Mathes Sr., 60, and his wife Robin Mathes, 47, both of the Hampton Community.
“The investigation revealed that, due to the severe storm that moved through Carter County, high winds caused the tree to break and fall on the campsite, causing the deaths of the couple,” Lunceford said. “As more details become available, we will make them available.”