BEAUMONT, Texas — Mandy Socia’s father, Joel Wiggins, found a body part at the scene of a crash that took the life of his daughter and son-in-law, when he went to find closure days later.
Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary sent his sincerest apologies to families of the victims for the body part found.
Beaumont police take "full accountability" for the remains that were left behind at the scene of this deadly crash, Singletary said.
“We just missed it,” he said. “There is no excuse. We just missed it, and I feel bad for the family.”
12news learned that Proctor Transport, who has a contract with Jefferson County, arrived at the crash scene at almost three hours after the initial accident, and removed the victims bodies of the scene.
Lashon Proctor, director of Proctor Transport, said his employees removed only what was marked by police.
“When our guys got on the scene, they were able to pick up the pieces that were marked,” he said. “So maybe, the victim's car was in so many pieces that it posed a problem.”
The crash scene was widely spread out which is how the body part could have been missed, Police Chief Jimmy Singletary said.
“The scene of the wreck was horrific and was spread out over almost 100 yards,” he said. “We had several officers and first responders search several times.”
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The dreadful discovery left the family heartbroken.
“I was looking at the site for an article or tidbit that belonged to my daughter,” Wiggins said. “We ran across a body part that was left behind.”
Wiggins lost his daughter, Mandy Socia, and his son-in-law in a crash near the East Cardinal Drive and South Martin Luther King Jr., Parkway exit ramp in Beaumont, almost a week ago.
Wiggins sorrow turned to anger after finding what he described as a hip bone at the scene.
“I am sickened behind this,” he said. “It is horrific. To me, it is gross negligence on the city's part.”
Both Beaumont police and Proctor Transport said they are thinking of the victim’s loved ones and how this gruesome discovery negatively impacted their lives.
“Losing losing a loved one is tragic enough,” Proctor said. “But to lose a loved one in an accident … My heart goes out to them, because it is not anything that you want.”