Woman dies in flash flood while walking along Johnson County creek
A 62-year-old woman is believed to have drowned when flash flood waters swept her away as she was walking along a south Overland Park trail Monday morning, according to fire and police officials.
The woman was identified as Anupama Vaidya of Overland Park, Officer John Lacy, a spokesman for the Overland Park Police Department, said Monday afternoon.
Vaidya left for a daily walk around 7:30 a.m. Monday along the trail at Negro Creek near West 155th Street and Nall Avenue, Lacy said.
Vaidya usually returned home from walks within an hour or two, but when she didn’t return, her daughter called the police about 9:40 a.m. to report her missing, Lacy said.
“She walks the trail frequently, so it’s not like she got lost or anything like that,” Lacy said. “So when she didn’t arrive back in a timely manner, that is when the family got worried.”
Vaidya’s daughter, son-in-law, and police officers searched the area for her on the trail. One officer found her in the creek, but was unable to reach her. Due to the heavy rain, the creek was overflowing its banks at the time she was reported missing, Lacy said.
Firefighters with the Overland Park Fire Department responded to a water rescue about 11 a.m., said Jason Rhodes, a spokesman for the Overland Park Fire Department.
By the time rescuers arrived, it became apparent that Vaidya had died. It was not known whether she had drowned or had some type of medical emergency, Rhodes said.
Vaidya disappeared as thunderstorms pushed through the southern part of the metro area. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory at 8:40 a.m. for parts of the metro, including Johnson County, after storms dumped heavy rains in the area.
About 40 minutes later, the weather service upgraded the advisory to a flash flood warning for parts of the metro, including eastern Johnson County.
A storm gauge near Nall Avenue shows that Negro Creek surged six feet, from 3.5 feet to 9.7 feet, between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, according to Stormwatch.com, a collection of storm gauges across the Kansas City metro.
Although the cause of the Vaidya’s death has not been determined, Rhodes said they always urge people to use caution and be aware of flooding, especially around swift-moving water.
“With these heavy rains we’ve had, a lot of these streams were very swollen, so we just urge caution and ask people to kind of stay clear of those areas,” Rhodes said.
Negro Creek is a small waterway that meanders through several neighborhoods, a few small parks and a golf course in southern Overland Park and Leawood. The headwaters originate near 151st Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park and flows east for 4 miles through Leawood, ending at the Blue River in Missouri.
Despite calls to rename the creek, a committee decided in 2023 to retain the name, citing concerns that removing it would erase a painful piece of history.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 1:41 PM.
