4-year-old boy killed when tree falls on home during strong storms

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) - Strong storms in Indiana are being linked to the death of a 4-year-old boy who was killed when a tree fell on his home.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Office responded around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after a tree fell on a home in a heavily wooded area of Geneva Township.

Deputies found a 4-year-old boy trapped in a back bedroom, which the tree had fallen onto. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people were inside the home but got out safely.

The victim’s name has not been released out of respect for the family.

“Pray for the family. This is obviously unexpected,” Chief Deputy Cody Law said. “Pray for the first responders that have to go through it. It’s a bad situation. There’s nothing we can say that’s going to make it any better.”

Deputies believe the heavy winds that came with storms moving through the county led to the tree falling. First responders were called to another home a few miles away from the victim’s home for a tree that had fallen on that home. No one was injured in that incident.

Deputies are encouraging the community to have backup batteries for their phones, so they can get alerts that warn of tornadoes or severe thunderstorms.