A day after Travis Haudley, 28, of Lukachukai, Arizona was killed on New Year’s Day after being hit by a train, Flagstaff Police discovered the body of his father in a nearby tunnel. The body of Emerson Haudley, 47, of Chinle, identified as the father of Travis, did not have any obvious sign of trauma and the severe cold overnight temperatures are believed to have contributed to his death.
According to Flagstaff Police, on January 1, officers investigated a fatal collision involving a train and pedestrian, Travis Haudley, near the intersection of E. Route 66 and E. Ponderosa Parkway. Initial reports, according to police, indicate two subjects were standing on the railroad crossing, between eastbound and westbound trains, when Mr. Haudley was struck by the westbound train.
Police are working with Burlington-Northern Santa-Fe (BNSF) Railroad personnel to obtain and review on-train video recordings as part of the investigation. Police report that a search of the area was completed, and no other persons were found in the immediate area.
Then on January 2, at approximately 10:19 a.m., Flagstaff Police responded to the intersection of E. Butler Ave and E. Ponderosa Parkway regarding an unresponsive subject lying in the snow near a retaining wall of the tunnel that runs beneath the E. Butler Ave and E. Ponderosa Parkway intersection.
Officers met with medical personnel, who were already on scene, and discovered the male, Mr. Emerson Haudley, was deceased.
The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the final cause and manner of death.