People Are Heartbroken After Final Text Message Of Young Texas Flood Victim Is Revealed

After one final haunting message, Joyce Catherine Badon’s cellphone switched off, while torrential rains triggered flash flooding in parts of Texas early Friday.

The chilling message was enough to make Joyce’s parents imagine their worst fear: their 21-year-old daughter may never come back home.

Joyce is now among at least 104 people who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods.

Joyce Badon sent one last haunting message before she and her friends were swept away in the flash flood

Flood victim message revealed as swollen river rushes beneath a bridge amid severe flooding and damage to infrastructure.

Image credits: Jonathan Petramala

Joyce and her three friends, Reese Manchaca, Ella Cahill, and Aiden Heartfield, had traveled to a country house together to spend the July 4 holiday.

All four friends were Kelly High School graduates, and Ella and Aiden were reportedly dating.

They were staying at Aiden’s late grandfather’s cabin along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, one of the hard-hit communities in western Kerr County.

People sitting near debris and wreckage in flood aftermath, reflecting on the fear experienced by the young flood victim.

Image credits: 13WMAZ

“My little sister, her boyfriend, and their two friends are missing due to flood,” Ella’s sister, Mackenzie Hodulik, wrote on social media. “Last we heard from them was at 4 a.m. They were trying to escape home to get to higher ground.”

Louis Deppe was the leader of a group of volunteers who helped Joyce’s family locate her body.

Joyce and her three friends had traveled to a cabin along the Guadalupe River to spend the July 4 holiday together

Smiling young flood victim outdoors at sunset, capturing the fear and emotion behind the final message shared.

Image credits: Joyce Badon

“Their house collapsed at about 4 in the morning, and they were being washed away,” Louis told AFP.

He spoke about Joyce’s last text message to her family, reflecting the horror she went through with her friends in her last moments.

“On her cellphone, the last message (her family) got was ‘we’re being washed away’ and the phone went de*d,” he said.

Rescue team carrying a victim through flood disaster debris, highlighting the fear and impact of the young flood victim incident.

Image credits: Eric Vryn/Getty Images

Aiden had also called his father, Thad Heartfield, as the disaster unfolded around them.

“Aidan said, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go, I’ve got to help Ella and Reese … they just got washed away,’” Joyce’s father, Ty Badon, told CNN.

“They just got washed away,” one of the friends said during a frightening phone call with a parent

Young flood victim smiling indoors near a piano and window with rocks and greenery outside.

Image credits: Kellye Badon

Comment about a father walking miles calling out his daughter's name, expressing sympathy for flood victim's fear and parents' pain.

Ty said Joyce was the last person to speak to Thad on the phone.

“[Aidan] gave the phone to Joyce and [she] said, ‘They just got washed away,’ and a few seconds later, the phone went de*d. That’s all we know. We presume that she got washed away as well,” the father said.

Man wearing a Capiber Solutions hat looks concerned, standing outdoors near flood-damaged area reflecting flood victim fear.

Image credits: KHOU11

Comment expressing sorrow about the fear and heartbreak related to the final message of a young flood victim.

Joyce’s father had joined the group searching for his daughter’s body amid the devastation caused by the floods, which included fallen trees, overturned cars, and rampant debris.

He revealed that the country house they had traveled to was no longer there after the flood.

While searching for his daughter, Ty Badon said he stumbled upon the body of a little boy, around 8 or 10 years old

Damaged bridge over floodwaters with two workers inspecting the site, highlighting impact of young flood victim's final message.

Image credits: Jonathan Petramala

Comment expressing gut-wrenching feelings and imagining the fear experienced by young flood victims.

The grieving father spoke about finding a little boy’s body while searching for his daughter.

“My son and I were walking and I thought it was a mannequin. It was a little boy, 8 or 10 years old, and he was de*d,” he told CNN.

Young woman smiling outdoors at a park event, reflecting on the fear young flood victim must have felt.

Image credits: Kellye Badon

Comment by Zoe Burkett expressing honor in knowing the flood victim's daughter and offering prayers for the family amid flood fear.

He revealed that the search group was walking through the debris, looking for his daughter and her friends, when they saw the child’s body.

“We were just walking, doing the same thing we were doing when we stumbled across him,” he said.

“One of the bodies was 8 to 10 feet in a tree, surrounded by so much debris,” said Louis Deppe

Image credits: CNN

Louis also spoke about the sights he saw while his team, which worked in groups of two or three, searched through the debris.

“One of the bodies was 8 to 10 feet in a tree, surrounded by so much debris,” he said. “Not one person could see it, so the more eyes, the better.”

Damaged stone wall with Texas license plate and fallen American flag, marked with caution tape after flood disaster.

Image credits: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

Joyce’s family eventually confirmed that her body was found days after she was swept away.

“God showed us the way we should go this morning!” her mother, Kellye Badon, wrote on social media.

“We found our lovely daughter who blessed us for 21 years!” she continued. “We pray to be able to find her three friends soon. Thanks to EVERYONE for the prayers and support.”

Image credits: REUTERS

Reese’s aunt and uncle also announced that her body was located “in the rubble and debris left by the rushing flood waters in the Hunt, Texas area.”

The search for Ella and Aiden continued, as the number of fatalities from the devastating flash floods crossed 100, and dozens still remain missing.

“Her father walked miles, calling out her name,” one commented online about Joyce’s father

Facebook comment expressing prayers and comfort for families who lost children in the flood, reflecting flood victim fear.

Comment expressing heartbreak over the pain and fear felt by a young flood victim in a heartfelt message.

Comment expressing confusion over faith after a young flood victim's final message revealed fear and loss.

Comment from Keith Klein expressing that the loss of life might have been prevented with flood warning and safety measures.

Screenshot of a heartbreaking social media message expressing sorrow over young flood victims and their final moments.

Text message from Lilly Shannon expressing sympathy for the fear felt by young flood victim and affected families.

Comment from Heather M Bromwell expressing sadness about the young flood victim and their family’s fear.

Comment from Nikki Bassani about a father finding the body of an 8-year-old boy amid flood tragedy and fear felt.

Comment expressing relief and prayers for recovery of flood victims, mentioning the fear they must have felt.

Comment expressing condolences and prayers for young flood victim and her family after emotional interview.

Comment expressing sympathy for loss and reflecting on the pain lessening over time after a young flood victim tragedy.

Comment expressing grief over young flood victims and the fear their families must have felt during the tragedy.

Comment about need for proactive funding and reference to big floods reflecting fear from young flood victim's message.

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