Oneida County Couple Killed by Freight Train

On April 27th at approximately 1:30 pm, Oneida County Emergency Services received a call from the CSX Railroad informing that a freight train had struck and killed two pedestrians at a crossing intersection in the Town of Verona.

Investigation revealed that Earl L. Myatt, 59, and his spouse, Mary M. Myatt, 59, were standing in the path of an eastbound freight train when the two were struck and killed.

The couple had been the subject of a missing persons report out of the City of Oneida. Their son, Bradford Myatt, contacted police after speaking with his father on the phone. Earl Myatt had stated "that he was sorry for what he was about to do" before ending the call. Mary Myatt was of diminished mental and physical capacity due to a brain aneurysm, from which she was recovering at the Oneida Healthcare Extended Care Facility. A suicide note was found in Earl Myatt's vehicle near the scene.

CSX Railroad personnel responded with assistance. Investigation is continuing.