The Putmans, the family made famous on the TLC reality show Meet the Putmans, asked for prayers in an Instagram post on Sunday as they announced that three members of the family had died in a car crash and several others were in the hospital.
“Our family was in a tragic car accident, and we lost Papa, Neenee, and Aunt Megan,” Isabelle, a member of the family, wrote in a letter shared on the @growingupputman Instagram account. “They have gone home to be with the Lord.”
TMZ reports Papa and Neenee were nicknames for Bill and Barb Putman, the heads of the family.
Five other members of the family were injured, Isabelle said. “Please keep Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah, and Gia in your prayers as they remain in the hospital,” Isabelle wrote. “We are asking for complete healing and strength for each of them.”
The crash happened Friday in Ellington Township, Michigan, as the driver of a semi truck failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a Jeep with the eight Putmans inside, according to WNEM. As the five injured Putmans were taken to the hospital via ambulance — with some in critical condition — the driver of the semi was arrested, according to the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office.
In their time of heartbreak, the surviving family members — including Billy, Jen, Brandon, Kacie, Jamie, Blair, Abby, Emma, Addison, Bella, Mercy, Gabby, Mya, Nova, Jonah, Eli, Solomon, Uriah, Samson, Luke, and Anna — are relying on their faith, Isabelle said.
“We ask for your continued prayers for Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah, and Gia as they recover, and for our whole family as we walk through this deep loss,” Isabelle added.
TLC’s Meet the Putmans aired its only season in 2017. The show followed Bill and Barb, who’d been married for 32 years at the time, as they lived with their children and grandchildren.
“This 25-person family lives under one roof, shares one bathroom, pools all of their finances, and helps raise all of the kids as one family unit,” TLC said in a press release. “Each episode will not only detail the little things that test this large household, but also highlight those extreme ‘for better or worse’ moments they experience as both couples and a family.”
Following the TLC show, the Putmans returned in a 2021 web series titled Growing Up Putman, People reports.