A mother and her four-year-old daughter were electrocuted Saturday afternoon outside their flooded Maryland basement, police said.
Both victims died. Late Sunday, they were identified as Crystal Leigh Puderbaugh, 29, and Lily Elizabeth Puderbaugh, 4.
Crystal died of electrocution and drowning, and Lily died of electrocution, the county medical examiner has ruled.
A firefighter attempting to rescue the pair was also shocked, though he is expected to recover.
The electrocution happened in a stairwell outside a home in the 8800 block of Connecticut Avenue in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Montgomery County. It was reported to police at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, right after serious storms swamped the D.C. area.
The basement of the home was saturated by water, and there was standing water in the stairwell leading to the basement, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
Police found a portable sump pump in the water near the victims, Montgomery County Police said in a statement.
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Police are investigating to see if the sump pump electrified the water.
