All 23 Alabama tornado victims, including 6-year-old boy and father who alerted friend about storm, have been identified

March 05--When news of an approaching tornado first made its way through southeast Alabama Sunday, David Wayne Dean alerted a friend. He texted his pal to keep up with the news as forecasters cautioned residents of the nasty storm.

Yet hours later, after the tornado ripped through the rural community of 10,000, leaving debris and devastation, 53-year-old Dean was among its victims.

Dean's son found his body on the other side of an embankment in the neighbor's yard, according to the Associated Press.

"He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up," wife Carol Dean said through sobs Monday.

Dean, one of the first to be identified, was among the 23 people killed in the disaster that wreaked havoc on Lee County over the weekend.

Coroner Bill Harris said Tuesday that all victims had been identified and their bodies were released to funeral homes. Their ages ranged from 6 to 93.

Seven of the victims came from one family alone, he said.

The 23 people killed are Armondo (AJ) Hernandez, 6, Charlotte Ann Miller, 59, David Dean, 53, Emmanuiel Jones, 53, Eric Jamal Stenson, 38, Felicia Woodall, 22, Florel Tate Stenson, 63, Henry Lewis Stenson, 65, Irma Gomez-Moran, 41, James Henry Tate, 86, Jimmy Lee Jones, 89, Jonathan Marquez Bowen, 9, Maggie Delight Robinson, 57, Mamie Roberts Koon, 68, Marshall Lynn Grimes, 59, Mary Louise Jones, 83, Mykala Waldon, 8, Raymond Robinson Jr., 63, Ryan Pence, 22, Sheila Creech, 59, Taylor Thornton, 10, Tresia Robinson, 62 and Vicki Braswell, 69.

Search and rescue teams continued to sift through the destruction in the area Tuesday, but Sheriff Jay Jones said he hopes they will soon transition to recovery efforts.

The number of missing people has gone from dozens to seven or eight, Jones said.

The youngest of the victims is believed to 6-year-old Armando (AJ) Hernandez.

His mother, Kayla Melton, pleaded on Facebook for locals to help look for him after the storm hit.

"My baby," she wrote.

Hernandez's aunt, Tina Melton, later confirmed that he didn't survive.

"He was a little Angel from God and God wanted him back. He was a precious little man that was loved by everyone," she wrote on Facebook. "I will miss your little smile and your sweet voice and face. He was always eager to give hugs and loved his family."

Taylor Thornton, a fourth-grader, was also killed in the wreckage. Lee-Scott Academy, the school she attended, confirmed her death. A GoFundMe page was set up to help her parents, Ashley and David, pay for funeral costs.

"Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed," the page read.

Charlie Craige, a family friend and pastor in Mobile, remembered Thornton as "the sweetest child" he had ever known.

"Honored to have known her during my time in Auburn, AL. So many good memories with her and her family," he wrote.

Vicki Braswell, 69, took shelter under a mattress with her daughter and granddaughter in their mobile home when the storm hit, family friend Christy Norris wrote on Facebook.

The house, though, soon began flipping.

Braswell, known by her loved ones as "Nanny," did not make it.

"Poor Daisy [her dog] wouldn't leave Nanny's side even after everything was over," Norris said.

Sheriff Jones called the disaster the worst he'd encountered in his 21-year career and the worst the town had seen in 50 years.

"It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood, debris everywhere, trees are snapped," he said during a press conference Monday.

Officials are using drones with infrared features to help look for more victims.

President Trump said that he has been working Gov. Kay Ivey and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.

"Towns, schools, churches and homes were devastated by tornadoes of a force like we haven't seen in a long time, historic. Our whole nation mourns for the more than 20 lives lost and for the heartbroken families they leave behind," Trump said Monday.

"You look at the areas affected and probably nobody made it out of that path, that path was brutal. To the community of Lee County, we grieve by your side and we pledge our unwavering support to help you rebuild from the very depths of this horrible tragedy."

___

(c)2019 New York Daily News

Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.