3 bodies in Florida semi-truck crash haven’t been recovered by families: officials
The families of three people killed after their minivan slammed into a semi-truck in Florida, a case which has garnered national attention, have not requested their loved ones' bodies to be released from the local medical examiner's office, officials said Wednesday.
Herby Dufresne, 30, the driver, and his two passengers - Faniola Joseph, 37, and Rodrigue Dor, 54 - died when semi-truck driver Harjinder Singh, 28, made a sudden illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike about 19 miles north of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County on Aug. 12, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Singh blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan to hit the truck, crumpling underneath the 18-wheeler’s trailer.
Dufresne was from Florida City. Joseph was from Pompano Beach while Dor was from Miami.
READ MORE: Truck driver in fatal Florida Turnpike crash expresses grief in first statement
The three bodies are still being held by the St. Lucie County Medical Examiner’s Office as neither family nor a funeral home have signed release forms, said Janie DuBois, the office manager. FHP alerts families on the retrieval of their loved one's bodies, she added.
Lt. Indiana Miranda, a spokesperson for FHP, said a corporal and a victim advocate have been assigned to the case, but did not say whether they have reached out to the families.
Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. He is being held at St. Lucie County Jail until his trial, as he was denied bond on Aug. 23.
The crash has sparked a firestorm over immigration after FHP announced Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018. FHP, however, did not detain Singh during the crash and allowed him to fly back to California, where he lived. He was arrested on Aug. 16 after the agency issued an arrest warrant for Singh the day before.
READ MORE: Troopers didn’t check immigration status of truck driver in fatal U-turn crash
California officials say Singh, who is a citizen of India, legally obtained a commercial driver’s license after receiving a federal work permit in 2021. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Singh was denied a work permit in 2020, during President Trump’s first term. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Trump administration renewed Singh’s permit in April.
On Tuesday, Sikhs for Justice said it was committing $100,000 to the families of the deceased, a lawyer connected to the group said.
READ MORE: No bond, new charges for immigrant truck driver in fatal Florida Turnpike crash
Miami Herald Caribbean Correspondent Jacqueline Charles contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 5:43 PM.
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