Madison County Coroner Identifies Six Who Died After Tragic Tornado Ripped Through Amazon Warehouse

EDWARDSVILLE - Unfortunately, today the Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn is reporting positive identification of six people who lost their lives as a result of a devastating EF-3 tornado that ripped through the Amazon Warehouse on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, in Edwardsville. Search efforts continue to ensure there are no additional victims in the damaged portion of the warehouse.

The six are:

Deandre S. Morrow (28 Years of Age)
St. Louis, Missouri

Kevin D. Dickey (62 Years of Age)
Carlyle, Illinois

Clayton Lynn Cope (29 Years of Age)
Alton, Illinois

Etheria S. Hebb (34 Years of Age)
St. Louis, Missouri

Larry E. Virden (46 Years of Age)
Collinsville, Illinois

Austin J. McEwen (26 Years of Age)
Edwardsville, Illinois

"All six victims known to us at this time and included herein have been positively identified," Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said. "The Madison County Coroner’s Office has spoken with a representative from each family to relay their findings regarding identification and preliminary cause of death for each victim. Five of the six victims have been released to funeral homes with the sixth victim scheduled to be released to a funeral home in the morning.

The City of Edwardsville continues the recovery process from the weather event that occurred on Friday, December 10, 2021. The Fire Department is still working to clear debris from the site and working with representatives of Amazon to account for all of their personnel. Anyone wishing to report a relative that may be missing from this incident should contact the Edwardsville Police Department (618-656-2131) as the Madison County Coroner’s Office has disbanded the reunification center at this time.

Information regarding a missing person will be gathered and directed to the Office of the Coroner who will coordinate efforts to locate and account for anyone still believed missing. Additionally, residents that experienced significant damage to their home or property should contact the United Way by calling 211 and a representative will collect all needed information and direct it to the proper authorities. As always, we would
like to remind residents to be on the lookout for scammers and only use reputable contractors’ for debris cleanup and storm damage repairs.

Representatives of Amazon are on-site and assisting with the search process.

Questions regarding the policies and practices of Amazon should be directed to Richard Rocha, Senior Public Relations Manager at Amazon-pr@amazon.com or his designee.

At this time, there are no additional reports of people missing.
Once again, the City of Edwardsville, would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of assistance and support throughout this difficult time. We would ask those wishing to make a donation, of any sort to contact the
Salvation Army or American Red Cross.

At 8:33 p.m. on December 10, 2021, a severe weather event occurred on the west end of Edwardsville resulting in catastrophic damage to a significant portion of the Amazon warehouse located at 3077 Gateway Commerce Center Drive South, Edwardsville, Illinois.

"On behalf of the City of Edwardsville, we want to thank everyone for the outpouring of assistance and support throughout this difficult time," Police Chief Fillback said. "We would ask those wishing to make a donation, of any sort to contact the Salvation Army or American Red Cross."

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