Ark. Sheriff Says It's a 'Miracle' Toddler Survived Tornado After Parents Die

A local Sheriff in Arkansas is saying it's a "miracle" that a toddler was saved from a massive tornado when her parents used their bodies to protect her from debris and rubble.

29-year-old Melissa Mooneyhan and her husband, 28-year-old Michael Mooneyhan were killed Sunday when they attempted to shield their two-year-old daughter from a tornado as it ripped through their mobile home in the town of Nashville, Arkansas.

Police reportedly found the bodies of the couple buried under debris. Although the two parents died, they successfully managed to shield their daughter from falling debris as the tornado passed. The two-year-old girl was found unharmed.

Linda Purtell, a friend of the deceased wife, told the THV-11 news station that she thinks the couple had banded together to protect the young child.

"I think they were together and trying to protect the child," said Purtell.

Bryan McJunkin, sheriff of Howard County, told Arkansas Online that he thinks "it's a miracle" the little girl survived the storm, which sent eight people total to the hospital.

"It's a miracle," McJunkins told the local media outlet. "I've been working for the county a little over 17 years and I've not seen anything like this in the city of Nashville. We've had some surrounding areas that have been hit. I do not remember a fatality from one."

The two-year-old girl was reportedly removed from the rubble caused by the tornado unscathed and was put in the custody of a relative.