'Lasting impact': Families grieve after deadly tornadoes cut through Indiana

Jake Allen, Kristine Phillips and Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star
·5 min read
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Editor's note: This article will update as we learn more information.

Families were left reeling as more than a dozen tornadoes struck Friday across Indiana.

Five people were killed during the storms. Brett Kincaid, 53, Wendy Kincaid, 47, both of Rossville, died when storms hit their camp in Owen County. Shane Goodman, 47, died in Sullivan County, as did Susan Kay Horton, 61, and her adult son, Thomas Randall Horton, 38.

Here is what we know from friends and family about those who died.

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Brett and Wendy Kincaid

Brett Kincaid, 53, and Wendy Kincaid, 47, were killed while camping at McCormick’s Creek State Park as storms and tornados rolled across Indiana on March 31, 2023.
Brett Kincaid, 53, and Wendy Kincaid, 47, were killed while camping at McCormick’s Creek State Park as storms and tornados rolled across Indiana on March 31, 2023.

For more than 30 years together, Brett and Wendy Kincaid loved hard.

“They loved their family, they loved their friends, they loved their church family and they loved their community hard,” a statement from the couple’s family reads.

Brett Kincaid, 53, and Wendy Kincaid, 47, had two adult kids and one grandson.

The couple was camping at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Owen County roughly 60 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis when a tornado with winds reaching 138 mph struck. Their bodies were found Saturday in their camper, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Brett Kincaid was a self-employed contractor in the construction business, while Wendy Kincaid worked for Purdue University as a research account specialist.

“Brett and Wendy were humble people that blessed many people with their love because they knew an even greater love through their faith in God,” said Andrew Bean, a friend of the Kincaid family.

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Bean started a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral costs to assist the couple’s family.

Brett Kincaid and Wendy Kincaid were committed to their faith, marriage, children, family and many friends, according to the GoFundMe account.

“Their love, influence, and example will have a lasting impact on countless people,” a description for the GoFundMe reads. “The Kincaids were generous in all aspects of their life.”

Susan Kay Horton

After an EF-3 tornado tore through Sullivan late Friday night, Terry Nash heard from a relative that his longtime employee, Susan Kay Horton, was missing.

Nash was among several people who searched for Horton after the tornado destroyed dozens of houses in the small town about an hour and a half southwest of Indianapolis. She was home that night.

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By early Saturday morning, Nash learned she’d been found. Her home had been reduced to nothing, Nash said.

Horton, 61, and her son, Thomas Randall Horton, 38, who was with her that night, were among the casualties. The deaths devastated the small tight-knit community of fewer than 5,000 people.

Susan Horton worked as an administrative assistant for Nash’s farm equipment store, Pigg Implement Sales, for 20 years. They’ve known each other since high school. Nash said Horton and his wife were classmates back then.

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“She was a very sweet, kind-hearted lady and a very dedicated employee,” Nash said. “She would do anything in the world for Pigg Implement and any of our customers.”

Horton’s death was a loss to Nash’s company, a small business of 21 employees.

“We’re very close. We’re like family,” Nash said, his voice sullen. “It’s pretty tough around here right now.”

When Nash opened a second location in Vincennes, Indiana, he said Horton took the lead and took care of various administrative duties for the opening. Nash said they often butted heads, but they always found ways to laugh about it at the end of the day.

“I just tell her I want something done a certain way, and she thought it had to be done a certain way,” Nash said. “We argue and laugh about it, and do it her way most of the time.”

Shane Goodman

Shane Goodman was a 47-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who even as a civilian never stopped serving the military and his country. He was at home with his wife, Nicole, when the tornado struck Sullivan, blasting through neighborhoods with winds peaking at 155 miles per hour and leveling homes in its path.

"The entire Crane Army Ammunition Activity family is saddened to learn that one of our employees Shane Goodman was a casualty from the severe weather that impacted the region over the weekend when the storm struck his home in Sullivan County," a spokesman for Crane Army Ammunition Activity said in a statement.

Nicole Goodman remains hospitalized for injuries sustained during the storm, according to the Crane Army spokesman and a GoFundMe campaign established to support her in the aftermath of Shane's death and the loss of their home. The campaign raised more than $10,300 as of 4 p.m. Monday.

Family and friends rallying on social media in support of Nicole Goodman, described as a pillar of the community and selfless, could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Crane Army officials said Goodman's service and dedication to his nation will not be forgotten. For more than 18 years, he worked at the Crane Army Ammunition Activity, currently serving as a supply technician in the Depot Operations directorate. He previously served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2004.

“It is never easy to lose an employee or coworker, and even more so when the loss is unexpected,” Col. Santee B. Vasquez, Crane Army Ammunition Activity commander, said in the statement provided to IndyStar. “We are never fully prepared for these types of events when they happen and so it’s important to take a minute to stop and hug the ones you love while you can. While Crane Army draws its employees from nearly every county in Southern and Central Indiana, we are like a family. A loss like this hits all of us hard."

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19. Contact IndyStar reporter at kphillips@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: bykristinep.

Contact IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana tornadoes: What we know about the victims