Authorities committed to finding missing 8-year-old girl swept away by floodwaters as search enters 13th day in North Texas
SHERMAN – The search for 8-year-old Clara Robinson has entered its 13th day.
Sherman police officers announced in a Facebook post that search teams were re-deployed just after sunrise on Sunday. The teams are being supported by a variety of resources, including drones, mounted teams, watercraft, canines, dive teams and sonar equipment.
"Despite the coming winter weather, our briefing room was full of searchers all committed to one cause, finding Clara," the post said.
Clara Robinson was swept away by floodwaters after her family's car crashed into a fast-flowing drainage ditch off U.S. 75 on Christmas Eve. She was traveling with five other family members, including her father, Will Robinson.
Will Robinson, a beloved high school coach from Durant, Oklahoma, died while attempting to save his 8-year-old daughter. Four other family members, including a 5-year-old child, were rescued and have been released from area hospitals, according to police.
"Please continue to pray for our efforts," the Sherman Police Department said on Saturday.
Police offered assurances that "every possibility" is being examined as searchers continue to comb the area for the missing Oklahoma girl. They also summarized their actions thus far and released an image of Friday's work.
"This does not depict everything we have done, merely what was covered in a single 24-hour period," Sherman police said. "We wanted to share this fragment of our 12-day search to show what is being done."
According to Sherman police, the stretch of Post Oak Creek between where the crash occurred and the FM 697 bridge has been "extensively searched" multiple times using every available resource.
"Everything downstream from FM 697 to the Red River has been searched by one method or another," police said. "We are still searching all areas of the creek with every asset at our disposal."
Several agencies are assisting in the search, including the Southeast Branch of the Oklahoma Disaster Task Force (ODTF), the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, the Celina Police Department, Tom Bean Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service from Sherman Medical Center.
The Sherman Police Department has advised the public to avoid donating to unverified fundraisers. The only verified fundraiser is a bank account established at First United Bank.
