Family mourns Virginia man who died after falling down well

Publish date: 2024-05-09

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — A 73-year-old man died after falling down a well in Virginia, according to authorities.

The Campbell County Sheriff's Office said the man was trapped 70 feet down in the well and was found unresponsive.

WSET spoke to Brandy Guthrie, who identified the man as her father, Preston Elliott.

He was the best father anybody could ask for," Guthrie told WSET on Sunday.

Guthrie said her father left behind many memories. One of her favorites was his garden.

He was known as the tomato man. He always built a beautiful garden," Guthrie said.

Guthrie said he often passed out the tomatoes to anyone who wanted them. She also loved going camping with her dad.

Daddy used to take me camping and we used to take baths in the creek. He would take me riding on the bike and always made sure he had time for me," Guthrie said.

Guthrie said her father loved cowboys.

"Every year, I bought him John Wayne stuff. He loved his westerns," Guthrie said.

Michelle Hall and Crystal Burrill are twins who grew up in the house next door to Guthrie. They said they thought of Elliott as a second father.

"We grew up beside each other. He was kind of like our second dad," Burrill said.

And Guthrie saw the twins as family.

"The twins -- they are like my sisters from another mother," Guthrie said.

The twins' father, Randolph, was best friends with Elliott.

"It was a lot of good ones, especially with their dad. Randolph and daddy were always outside doing something," Guthrie said.

According to Burrill, Elliott was fixing his well on Friday. Burrill said they don't know how Elliott ended up falling down the well.

We really don't know what happened. We don't know if he was electrocuted. We don't know if he fell. We don't know what happened or if he had a medical condition," Burrill said.

Burrill's favorite memory was riding Elliott's motorcycle.

"My favorite memory was riding his motorcycle up to the Blue Ridge Parkway," Burrill said.

Hall spoke to her memories of Elliott and her father building things together.

"I have a lot of memories of him and my dad. They liked to work on cars together. There was a garage in the back of the house that they built by hand," Hall said.

The twins said Elliott will be forever remembered as a country boy.

"He was just a good old country boy," Hall said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Elliot's family.

"Thanks for everybody who helped that day and thanks for everybody who's chipping in to help me today," Guthrie said.

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