Husband dies, wife disoriented in area that was hit by Tropical Storm Cindy
Winnie couple who were reported missing 2 days ago suffered from mental disabilities
Tragedy came for Lena and Claude Credeur on Wednesday evening as rain beat down on Bolivar.
That’s when authorities say they found the elderly Chambers County couple, first reported missing from their home in Winnie the day before. the couple got to that particular spot on the Bolivar Peninsula east of Galveston, as Tropical Storm Cindy approached the shore, or what the couple was doing there.
Deputies did not see any marks or other signs of physical injury on Claude Credeur and do not suspect foul play, Hudson said.
The case remains largely a mystery, emerging amid the storm that left most of the Houston region unscathed.
Relatives and friends of the couple declined to speak to reporters and asked for privacy.
Law enforcement in Cham-
By the time sheriff ’s deputies arrived, 86-year-old Claude Credeur had died, said Galveston County Sheriff ’s Maj. Douglas Hudson.
His wife, Lena, 81, who was disoriented and confused, was hospitalized at UTMB Galveston with non-life-threatening injuries, Hudson said.
Authorities don’t know how
bers County issued a Silver Alert for the couple Tuesday, saying they had disappeared in their 1997 green Dodge pickup.
Galveston County deputies first became aware something was wrong Wednesday as they were monitoring beach conditions at Texas 124 and Texas 87, when a passerby told them he’d seen a vehicle on the beach about a mile away.
The storm-battered section of beach near High Island lies about 15 miles south of the couple’s home.
News of the couple’s disappearance sparked consternation among the couple’s relatives and neighbors, then heartbreak after the report of Claude Credeur’s death.
“One of the sweetest couples I have ever known,” one friend wrote online.
The sheriff’s office said Claude Credeur suffered from dementia and his wife from Alzheimer’s, complicating efforts to untangle the tragic events.
“The wife is very disoriented,” Hudson said.
The couple and the truck were found on the beach near the intersection of the two state highways, one of the hardest-hit areas on the peninsula. A typical problem area, the intersection became impassable overnight because of storm debris washing over the roadway.