Just moments before floodwaters tore through the home where she was staying, a 21-year-old woman from Texas sent a desperate, heart-wrenching message to her family, pleading for help as the raging current swept her away. Over the Fourth of July weekend, the Guadalupe River surged violently through Central Texas, rising at an alarming rate and engulfing everything in its path—homes, camps, and lives.
According to AFP, the flooding was triggered by torrential rains that began the night before Independence Day. Within less than an hour, the river had climbed to the height of a two-story building, causing massive flooding in parts of Kerr County. As of July 9, NBC News reported that at least 107 people were confirmed dead across six counties, among them more than two dozen children and staff members from a Christian camp for girls. Many others are still unaccounted for, and authorities fear the number of fatalities will continue to rise as search and recovery efforts press on.
Among the missing was 21-year-old Joyce Badon, who had been spending the holiday weekend with her three friends—Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca, and Aiden Heartfield—at a riverside vacation home. What began as a joyful summer getaway turned into a nightmare. By early morning, the house where they had been staying had vanished.
Joyce’s father, Ty Badon, shared with CNN the haunting details of their last contact. The family was on the phone with Aiden’s father, the owner of the house. “We were told they were on the phone… and then the phone just went dead,” he said, noting that the house itself had been completely destroyed. Aiden had reportedly told his father, “Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to help Ella and Reese… they just got washed away,” and then silence. That was the last anyone heard from them.
On Facebook, Joyce’s mother, Kellye Badon, posted a tearful plea for prayers, revealing more details of what happened. “A flash flood came through and washed their cars away,” she wrote. “It happened so quickly and with so much water that they couldn’t even reach the attic.” She explained that Aiden had managed to call his dad during the chaos, but then he, along with two others, was swept away by debris. Joyce was reportedly the last person to speak with Aiden’s father.
Despite the grim circumstances, Kellye remained hopeful. Her July 4 post ended with a prayerful message: “We pray for safety for JC and her friends. We are going to believe that we will pick up my daughter & her friends ALIVE in Hunt, TX today.”
In the following days, teams of volunteers scoured the riverbanks and the debris-strewn floodplain for Joyce and her friends. While some made heartbreaking discoveries, they continued to press forward. One searcher, Louis Deppe, a volunteer leading efforts for the Badon family, shared how challenging the task was. “One of the bodies was 8 to 10 feet up in a tree, surrounded by so much debris that no one could see it. The more eyes out there, the better,” he said.
Tragically, Joyce’s own father stumbled upon the body of another victim. “My son and I were walking, and I thought it was a mannequin,” Ty said. “It was a little boy, eight or ten years old, and he was dead. We were just walking, doing what we could when we came across him.”
Still clinging to hope, families and friends launched a coordinated search. Tina Hambly, the mother of one of Joyce’s friends, was among those involved. “We’re covering a seven-mile stretch,” she told AFP. “There are seven teams, each doing a mile. We’re just trying to divide and conquer.” She added that, in addition to friends and relatives, strangers had shown up to help, moved by the tragedy and determined to make a difference.
Then, on July 7, the news the Badon family had feared the most arrived. Joyce’s body had been found. Her father confirmed the heartbreaking development in an interview with NBC News. Soon after, her mother took to Facebook to honor her beloved daughter, describing the deep pain of their loss and the beauty of the young life taken too soon.
“God showed us the way we should go this morning!” Kellye wrote. “We found our lovely daughter who blessed us for 21 years! We pray to be able to find her three friends soon. Thanks to EVERYONE for the prayers and support. God is good!”
Later that day, she shared another post, featuring a photo of a rainbow stretching across the sky above their home. “Joyce Catherine telling us from heaven ‘all is well with my soul,’” she wrote in a message filled with both grief and love.
Louis Deppe, the volunteer who had been helping the family search, revealed that Joyce’s final act before being swept away was sending a text message to her family. “On Joyce’s cellphone, the last message her family received was, ‘we’re being washed away,’ and then the phone went dead,” he told AFP, as reported by People.
Since then, the bodies of several victims have been recovered, including Reese Manchaca. However, Aiden Heartfield and Ella Cahill are still missing, and the search continues.
This tragedy has shaken communities and families across Texas, reminding us all of the power of nature and the fragility of life. As families grieve and volunteers search, your thoughts, prayers, and words of support can bring comfort to those affected. Please share your condolences and well-wishes in the comments, and share this story so that the voices of those lost—and those still searching—can be heard far and wide.
