An Air Force family of four that was reported missing over the Thanksgiving holiday died in a car crash in Montana while traveling to see relatives.
The Air Force reported that Staff Sgt. Anthony James Dean and wife Chelsi Kay Dean, both 25, and their two daughters, Kaytlin Merie Dean, 5, and Avri James Dean, 1, were all found dead in their SUV by the highway just miles from where they left Billings on Thanksgiving morning.
The family was traveling from Caldwell, Idaho, to see relatives in Ekalaka when the tragedy occurred.
Missing family found dead
They were reported missing on Thanksgiving after they did not reach their destination in Ekalaka, which is located about 260 miles east of Billings, where they last made contact with family members on Thursday morning. The last message from the family came around 6:30 a.m., when Chelsi Dean called her grandmother to say they would arrive in Ekalaka before noon.
Montana Highway Patrol began a search, and a call came in around 8 p.m. on Friday night after an Air Force helicopter found the car in a ditch by the highway in Huntley, 13 miles east of Billings. Troopers said the accident took place on Thanksgiving morning.
The family was heading east on Interstate 94 in their blue Toyota 4Runner, which was towing a small trailer carrying a 1979 Toyota Corolla, when their car went off the road and crashed into the median.
The car continued down the median for some distance, then lifted off the embankment and flew into the air for about 200 feet before crashing into a bridge support and landing in a creek below the bridge.
Family left heartbroken
The couple both grew up in Caldwell but lived in Manvel, North Dakota after Anthony Dean was assigned to the 69th Maintenance Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, where he worked as a RQ-4 Global Hawk crew chief. Chelsi Dean was a volunteer firefighter in Manvel.
“Hearts are heavy today after the loss of a beloved family. Please check on your wingman and support each other during this difficult time,” the base said on Facebook.
His commander was heartbroken by the news.
“Words are not enough during a time like this,” said Maj. Eric Inkenbrandt, 69th Maintenance Squadron commander. “AJ’s family brought a light to our maintenance community, and this loss strikes each of us deeply. May their friends and family be granted the strength and serenity to get through this sorrowful time.”
Anthony Dean’s mother said on Facebook that her “heart is broken into a billion pieces.”
A GoFundMe page set up to pay for the family’s funeral expenses shot $11,000 past its goal as of Sunday night.
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