From the desk of Sheriff Bryson Meyers:
On February 9, 2026, around 11:00 a.m., deputies with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office responded to Herrington Manor Road in the area known as the “88” bridge just outside of Oakland for a report of a vehicle that travelled off the roadway and into the Youghiogheny River. Employees for the Town of Oakland, located the vehicle and contacted the Oakland City Police Department for the initial report. Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office, along with Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division, Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigator, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Oakland Police, and Oakland Volunteer Fire Department all responded to the scene.
The investigation revealed that a 2024 Toyota Tacoma was traveling along Herrington Manor Road, south towards Oakland, when the vehicle left the roadway, and landed on its roof, upside down in the Youghiogheny River. Personnel on the scene located the driver, Willard Allan DeWitt, 84 years old, Terra Alta, West Virginia, inside the vehicle where he was pronounced deceased.
Mr. DeWitt had been reported missing since February 1, 2026, and was listed as a missing person and was the subject of a Silver Alert by the West Virginia State Police, who had been actively attempting to locate Mr. DeWitt.
The accident is being investigated by the Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team, and remains under investigation.