Authorities inspecting piles of debris during North Texas search for missing 8-year-old Oklahoma girl
SHERMAN – Authorities have been inspecting piles of debris between FM 697 and the site where an 8-year-old Oklahoma girl was swept away in floodwaters after her family's vehicle crashed into a fast-flowing drainage ditch off U.S. 75 on Christmas Eve, officials said Monday.
"There are a few more (debris piles) that require heavy equipment," Sherman police said in a social media post. "Today, we are working on plans to get equipment to those piles. Our teams are also focusing on portions of the creek where the bank has collapsed and created silt deposits."
Monday marked the 14th day of the search for Clara Robinson.
When the crash occurred, the child was with five family members, including her father, Will Robinson, a beloved high school coach from Durant, Oklahoma. He died heroically while attempting to save her. Four other family members, including a 5-year-old child, were rescued and have since been released from area hospitals, according to police.
On Monday, teams from Sherman police and the city's fire rescue redeployed to the creek bed searching for the child. Texas Department of Corrections canine teams and the Grayson County Sheriff's Office assisted.
"The 19-degree weather is not helpful, but it is not stopping our search for Clara," Sherman police said early Monday.
Resources supporting the teams include drones, mounted teams, watercraft, canines, dive teams, and sonar equipment.
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.
Meanwhile, authorities are determining how to best continue the search during the expected North Texas snowstorm later in the week.
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.
