Brothers, 9 and 7, Died with Mother and Her Fiancé After They Fled Flooded N.C. Home During Hurricane Helene
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10/15/2024 12:56 PM
Felix and Lucas Wisely, along with their mother Aly and her fiancé Knox Petrucci, were swept into the Toe River on Friday, Sept. 27
GoFundMe (2)
Alison Wisely and Knox Petrucci (left); Wisely with her sons Lucas and Felix (right)Weeks after Hurricane Helene carved a destructive path through western North Carolina, one school district is remembering at least four students who died in the storm's aftermath.
Two of the victims have been identified as 9- and 7-year-old brothers Felix and Lucas Wisely, the AshevilleCitizen Times reported.
At least two students whose names have not been made public also died and 21 others are unaccounted for, more than two weeks after the deadly storm resulted in catastrophic flooding in the area, Buncombe County Schools superintendent Rob Jackson said on Friday, Oct. 11, according to NBC affiliate WXII-TV.
"I'm extremely broken-hearted to share that since the storm's arrival, we've also lost four of our students," Jackson said at last week's school board meeting.
A representative with Buncombe County Schools did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for an update on those who are missing.
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The Wisely brothers' mother, Alison "Aly" Wisely, and her fiancé Knox Petrucci also died when the family attempted to flee their home on Friday, Sept. 27 amid rising floodwaters.
According to the boys' father Lance Wisely, the family's car began to float and the foursome got out and tried to return to their house when "a big wave came and swept them all into the Toe River."
One week later, the brothers' bodies were found, one day after Aly's body was recovered, Lance wrote on Facebook.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Flooding in Asheville, N.C. in the wake of Hurricane HeleneKnox's body has not yet been found, according to a GoFundMe for the family.
Of the 95 people killed in North Carolina during the storm, at least 72 people were from Buncombe County, NBC affiliate WRAL-TV reported.
In the fundraiser, Felix was described as a "curious" and "precocious" third-grader who "wanted to know everything about the world." Lucas was known to dress in superhero costumes and loved the outdoors, especially cows.
"The boys were loved fiercely and generously by all of their grown ups, and by you, even many of you who never met them have watched them grow up and shared in our joys as a family," Lance wrote in his Facebook post. "Their lives were dense with adventure, art, silliness, and snuggles. It has been my great honor and pleasure and exhausting privilege to be their father for their time in this world with us."
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