Sheriff: Mother & child dead after tornado destroys homes in Caddo Parish

CADDO PARISH, La. (KSLA) — A mother and her son are dead and another woman is hurt in the wake of tornadic storms that blew through the area Tuesday, Dec. 13.

“It’s really a sad, sad situation. And it’s one of the most unusual things I have ever seen,” Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator said.

Early on, 30-year-old Yoshiko A. Smith and her 8-year-old son Nikolus Little were reported missing, and one woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. Then about 11:30 p.m., Prator confirmed that Little’s body had been found about a half mile from where his home used to be.

Smith was found dead one street over from where her home was destroyed in Pecan Farms. She was found under debris caused by the tornado. The causes of death for both Smith and Little are blunt force trauma, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

First responders continue to search the area for any unknown victims. No one else has been reported missing at this time.

[RELATED: Nearly 25 people injured after tornado destroys Farmerville neighborhood]

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, the Shreveport National Weather Service said they found preliminary EF-2 damage, with estimated winds of 130 MPH in south Caddo Parish.

Manufactured/mobile homes were among dwellings destroyed on Pecan Road just northwest of Four Forks near Fullilove Cemetery in Caddo Parish, a storm chaser told the National Weather Service office in Shreveport. A forest was mowed down in that area as well.

Caddo sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Lareta Street in Keithville’s Pecan Farms area after a tornado touched down there. The Sheriff’s Office reports that several structures were damaged and electrical lines and trees were knocked down.

The few houses that were in one area were destroyed, the sheriff said.

The storms spawned multiple tornado warnings, with four simultaneously at one point, in the ArkLaTex.

More than 30 Caddo sheriff’s units responded to assist Caddo Fire District 4 personnel in the area of Lareta Street between Pecan and Four Forks roads in the Four Forks area northwest of Keachi.

Anyone who suffered damage to their home from the storm are urged to report it to the Caddo Sheriff’s Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Division. Please call Deputy Director Robert Jump at (318) 675-2255 to report the damage and receive information on how to recover from the storm.

Spotters also said 4-by-8′s fell out of the sky as a confirmed tornado lifted in the area of Spring Ridge Drive just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

In East Texas, a tornado that struck about 4:08 p.m. damaged a large outbuilding and some trees near DeBerry, according to a report to the Weather Service office in Shreveport.

KSLA News 12 viewer Jeff Taylor shared a photo of a tree downed along Highway 451 south of Waskom, Texas.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office warned people to be aware of downed power lines in the area.

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