Woman Dies After Falling Into Home's Hidden Well Shaft

An 83-year-old woman who went to help her daughter move died after falling down a hidden well shaft in the South Carolina home. Police say Dorothy Louise Downey was in the kitchen Sunday around 2pm when she suddenly stepped through a part of the floor and into the shaft, Fox Carolina reports. Her daughter crawled under the house, which was built in 1920, to try to find her but could not; she had fallen about 48 feet, and her body was ultimately extricated by the Salem Fire Department and Oconee Emergency Services around 5:45pm, WBTV reports. Police say the family knew the floor was rotten, but was not aware of the well shaft. (More South Carolina stories.)