Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Alabama Youth With Ties To Area Dies In Truck Wreck

A former Nevada County resident was killed in an auto accident in Alabama.

According to reports, Alabama State Troopers responded in the wrong county to a call concerning the wreck, with the deceased and injured victims undiscovered for almost 10 hours.

DeWillis "Chello" Young, 18, a senior at Mary G. Montgomery High School, was killed in the wreck, which occurred on Moffett Road in Mobile County, less than a mile east of the school.

Injured were Tanja Edwards, 16, and Landi Thomas, 17.

The three were in a 1989 Chevrolet pickup driven by Paul Goode, 21, who was also injured.

The vehicle ran off the road about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, and flipped several times before coming to rest about 75 yards off the roadway.

Thomas was able to drag herself out of the wreckage and close to the road where she was discovered by a passing motorist around 7 a.m. Wednesday.

The accident was discovered by Wanda Eckhoff Wednesday morning when she was taking her daughter to school.

When she saw the wreck, she called 9-1-1 to alert authorities.

Young also had relatives in the Gurdon area. He will be buried at 1 p.m. Saturday at Union Grove Baptist Church in Bluff City.