SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PA — A couple and their two young children were killed in a one-vehicle crash in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, according to state police. Authorities said the sedan left Rock Mountain Drive in Gibson Township and went about 60 feet down an embankment late on Aug. 28.
Pennsylvania State Police identified the victims as 45-year-old Peter Thatcher, 45-year-old Sandra Thatcher, their 11-year-old son and their 10-year-old daughter. CBS affiliate WYOU reported the children were Noah and Layla. All four were pronounced dead at the scene after first responders reached the vehicle around 10:15 p.m.
Sedan found down an embankment near Rock Mountain Bible Camp
State police said the crash happened on Rock Mountain Drive in Gibson Township. Rock Mountain Bible Camp said on Facebook that the wreck occurred on its property. The organization describes itself as a year-round Christian retreat center, summer camp and family campground.
The camp said its immediate family, campground community and staff were grieving the loss. No additional details about what caused the vehicle to leave the road have been released, and investigators have not said whether weather, speed or another factor played a role.
The crash scene and the location of the vehicle suggest a severe impact, but police have only confirmed that the car was found roughly 60 feet below the roadway.
Community posts remember Sandra Thatcher’s work with Ronald McDonald House Scranton
Reaction to the deaths spread quickly across the local community. Richard Bradshaw, the organization leader for Ronald McDonald House Scranton, called the crash devastating in a Facebook post and said Sandra Thatcher had been an extraordinary champion for the group.
Bradshaw said her passion inspired people to care and wrote that she fought hard for families, brought people together and challenged her community. His message added that she had a remarkable ability to turn compassion into action.
Those comments underscored the family’s connections in the region beyond the crash itself. The deaths have left relatives, neighbors and the organizations that knew Sandra Thatcher mourning the loss.
Investigators ask for tips as lead trooper continues probe
WYOU reported that Peter Thatcher worked as a sergeant at the Wyoming County Correctional Facility, and that Noah and Layla attended Tunkhannock Area Intermediate Center. State police said the fatal crash remains under investigation.
Trooper Stephen Florey is the lead investigator, and anyone with information has been asked to contact the Gibson barracks at 570-465-3154. Police have not said whether any other vehicles were involved, and no cause has been announced.
For now, officials have confirmed only the basic timeline: the family was traveling in the sedan late Thursday night, the car came off the roadway, and all four people died at the scene.
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