A frantic text message was all Joyce Badon could send before floodwaters tore through the Texas home where she and three friends were staying. The 21-year-old’s plea for help—”We’re being washed away”—marked the tragic end of a July 4th weekend turned nightmare.
The Guadalupe River’s rapid rise caught everyone off guard, submerging entire neighborhoods in minutes. Over 100 lives were lost, including children from a nearby camp. Joyce, Ella, Reese, and Aiden were among the missing until search teams began recovering bodies along the ravaged riverbanks.
Joyce’s father recounted the group’s last phone call with Aiden’s dad. “They just got washed away,” Aiden had said before the line went silent. Volunteers, including Joyce’s family, joined the search, uncovering heartbreaking scenes—bodies wedged in trees, debris piles hiding tragic finds.
On July 7, Joyce’s family received the news they dreaded: her body had been found. Reese was later recovered, but Ella and Aiden are still missing. Joyce’s mother shared a touching tribute online, along with a photo of a rainbow—a sign, she believes, from her daughter in heaven.
