After a fatal crash on I-64 in West Virginia in June 2026, a dog named Hennessy survived but her owner, Jeffrey Simons, died. Police, Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association, online volunteers, and her original Iowa shelter helped identify her family and open a path home.

Near South Charleston, West Virginia, United States

After the crash, fear came first

On a Tuesday evening in June 2026, a truck crash occurred on I-64 West near South Charleston, West Virginia. CBS Pittsburgh, citing local reporting, said truck driver Jeffrey Simons died, while his dog Hennessy survived.

South Charleston police brought Hennessy to Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. WSAZ reported that she was scared and standoffish when she arrived. A dog cannot understand a crash, death, or a strange shelter; she can only lose the person and scent she knew.

This story does not turn tragedy into a miracle. It records that a dog was protected after her owner died, and that people did not treat her as an afterthought.

A worn phone number and a large search

Hennessy's collar had an out-of-state area code, but most of the number had rubbed off, leaving only the area code and three digits. KCHA posted on Facebook asking the public to help find her owner's family.

CBS reported that the search led to a 2021 Facebook post from the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown in Iowa. KCHA confirmed that the group was Hennessy's original shelter. WSAZ also described how KCHA's community and more than 100,000 followers helped trace the lead.

The detail gives the story another kind of warmth. The internet is not always noise; sometimes it points a lost animal back toward people who know her.

A FaceTime call changed her posture

After contact was made with the Iowa family, staff arranged a FaceTime call. WSAZ quoted KCHA Community Engagement Manager Angie Gillenwater saying it was moving to see Hennessy become a different dog and find a little comfort.

CBS also cited the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown saying the call lifted Hennessy's spirits tremendously and made a world of difference. Public reporting does not say what she understood, but it does support one observable thing: familiar voices and images changed the way she carried herself.

That is not invented psychology. It is a careful record of a frightened dog responding to something familiar in a strange place.

Home does not erase grief

KCHA said Hennessy's family planned to travel from Iowa to West Virginia to bring her home. That cannot cancel the grief of losing Jeffrey Simons. But it means the dog who traveled with him was not left behind in an unfamiliar state.

Hennessy belongs in the animal stories column not because she performed a heroic act, but because this story shows one quiet human duty after disaster: send a dependent animal back to people who can care for her.

Warmth does not always mean a happy ending. Sometimes it means that after chaos, someone still asks whether the animal has a home and whether she can return to it.

Timeline

• 2026-06-23 WSAZ reported that the I-64 crash occurred Tuesday evening; Jeffrey Simons died and Hennessy was rescued.
• After the crash South Charleston police brought Hennessy to Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association.
• 2026-06-24 to 06-25 KCHA and online community members used partial phone details, Facebook records, and the Iowa shelter connection to find family.
• Afterward A FaceTime call reportedly comforted Hennessy, and family planned to take her home.

Public Sources

• CBS Pittsburgh: Dog rescued from crash that killed her owner in West Virginia to be reunited with his family
• WSAZ: Dog to be reunited with family after owner dies in I-64 crash