Mystery grows after dad and his daughter, six, are found dead near their ‘broken down truck’ in rural SC on the way to grandma’s house – as police probe call where child was screaming moments before family lost contact

Although a coroner has ruled that a father and his six-year-old daughter died of hypothermia, many questions still remain about how they ended up stranded on the way to grandma's house and what really happened in their final hours.

Jason Murph, 42, and his daughter Michelle Murph were traveling from Blythewood, South Carolina, to Orangeburg, South Carolina, to visit Jason's mother – a drive of about 65 miles.

Murph's estranged wife and the young girl's mother said the last time she heard from them was Dec. 16 around 8 p.m.

Murph told her his car broke down and he slid off the road and didn't know where he was. The little girl could also be heard crying frantically in the background.

Two days later, Murph's silver Toyota Tundra was found in a damaged and burned field near Interstate 301 Calhoun County. Around 1 p.m., officers from the Richland County Sheriff's Department and police K-9s found their bodies about 100 yards away.

A Calhoun County coroner said autopsy results were inconclusive and the couple died of hypothermia due to the weather. Officials said there were no signs of foul play, but their deaths remain a mystery.

The wrecked silver Toyota Tundra was found by officials last Monday around 1 p.m. near Lavender Lane in South Carolina, just off Interstate 26 near the 136-mile marker.

Murph's silver truck (pictured) was captured on video as he stopped at an Exxon station an hour before he spoke to his estranged wife and before the couple was reported missing

The weather in South Carolina on December 16 was around 30 degrees.

Although temperatures were above freezing, the coroner said he still believes weather played a factor.

“Because of the elements,” Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said, according to WLTX. “It certainly wasn't below freezing, but the wind and rain are making them extremely cold, and I think it became urgent for them to get help and find shelter.”

The coroner suggested the truck became stuck in the mud and evidence at the scene showed they had made attempts to free it. But the friction from the failed attempts caused a grass fire.

“In my opinion the car probably started the grass fire around 10.30pm but unfortunately once the car fire was extinguished I think that was when they had to leave urgently,” Porth said.

He said he felt like they were walking together in a wet creek near the spot and the father sank into the mud. The father and daughter were found next to each other.

“I feel like they were walking together, and unfortunately, because he was heavier than them, he sank into the mud, and the more you struggle, the deeper you go,” Porth told the outlet. “I would ask everyone to remember family and friends, their prayers and thoughts.”

The girl's father and mother, although not together, both cared for their young daughter. The youngster had been in her father's care for at least two weeks before the tragedy occurred.

According to a police report, the mother said she heard their daughter screaming in the background. She told police that Jason hung up the phone, refused to answer and his phone was dead.

Murph's wife also texted him to contact 911, but she too never heard from him.

The silver truck was captured on a surveillance camera at an Exxon station. The timestamp was about an hour before Murph spoke to his daughter's mother. WACH news reported.

The father and daughter we saw with Santa on a previous holiday outing

The young girl was a student at Sandlapper Elementary School in the Richland School District.

Quentin Murph, the cousin of Jason Murph's cousin, told locals CLEAR News that he was “confused as to how the pair ended up at that location, as the area where they were found was not on the route to Grandma's house.”

He expressed his sadness that he could not help his loved ones.

“We're sorry we weren't there to perhaps help you at the time you needed us most,” he said.

“I just want to say that we love you and will always keep you in our fondest memories.”