NBC29Nelson Residents Dead in Mumbai

Nelson Residents Dead in Mumbai

A father and daughter from Nelson County are two of the more than 140 confirmed dead in a series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.

Fifty-eight-year-old Alan Scherr and 13-year-old Naomi Scherr were part of Synchronicity, a religious community in Nelson County. The two left Virginia on November 14 with a larger Synchronicity group. According to Synchronicity Foundation spokesperson Bobbie Garvey, the Scherrs were among 25 foundation participants in a spiritual program in at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai. That hotel is one of two that terrorists took over Wednesday.

Alan and Naomi lived across the street from the Synchronicity grounds in Faber. According to the Synchronicity website, Alan, his wife Kia and Naomi have been members of the community for more than a decade. Kia and her two sons did not travel to India.

Six other people traveling with the Synchronicity group are from Nelson County, including the group's leader. They are all okay. Garvey said four others on the mission were injured in the attack at the hotel. 

The group is working their way out of the hotel to other places. Synchronicity is staying in constant contact with their members, working to find them safe places to stay and will eventually travel back home.

The group has set up a hotline for friends and family to check on the status of their loved ones visiting India. That number is 757-644-3400.

Synchronicity held a press conference. Click on the links to watch parts of that conference.

Reported by Jenn McDaniel
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