Roll of Honor
Incident
Major Michelle Quintero was killed while attempting to reach her patrol vehicle in Yancey County during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Major Quintero was en route to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. Unknown to the residents of Yancey County, a dam had overflowed, resulting in all power, radio communication, and phone services being down. Major Quintero was swept downhill and was hit by a tree careening in the fast-moving water.
Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm to hit North Carolina. The heavy rains and damaging winds caused major landslides and flash flooding, damaging over 6,000 miles of roads and knocking out power to over 900,000 residents throughout western North Carolina. As of November 2024, over 100 deaths in North Carolina were attributed to Hurricane Helene, with 11 of the deaths from Yancey County and four from Madison County.
Major Quintero had served with the Madison County Sheriff's Office for over 17 years. She is survived by her husband, son, daughter, two brothers, a sister, and a grandson. Her husband and brother also serve in law enforcement, and her two children work for the Madison County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
She is survived by her husband, son, daughter, two brothers, a sister, and a grandson.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-09D7108E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Major Quintero gave the Madison County Sheriff's Office 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Marshall community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Major Quintero.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Major Michelle Lynn Quintero is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen.
At Madison County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michelle Lynn Quintero's cause is highlighted.
How Michelle Lynn Quintero Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michelle Lynn Quintero is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Madison County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
