Whitemarsh Police Find One Dead from Irene

The Whitemarsh Police Department discovered the body of 64-year-old Patricia O’Neill during a search and rescue operation caused by Hurricane Irene on Sunday, August 28.

According to a release from the department, emergency responders located a vehicle belonging to the East Norriton woman during the height of the storm.

O’Neill’s family members became concerned when they did not hear from her and when she did not reach her place of employment, the release states. She had indicated that she was going to work at Genuardi’s in the Flourtown Shopping Center and had left her apartment at 2 a.m. The family notified the East Norriton Police department, who made an NCIC entry that triggered a message looking for a vehicle that matched the description of the one found by the Whitemarsh police.

Police discovered O’Neill approximately half a mile away from her parked car on the edge of a stream below Bethlahem Pike. The Montgomery County Coroner’s office assisted with the recovery of the body.

The cause of death is not stated in the release.