Where is Clara? Search for Oklahoma girl swept away by floodwaters enters second week
SHERMAN – Multiple North Texas law enforcement agencies continued searching Monday morning for a missing Oklahoma girl carried away by rushing waters after her family's car hydroplaned into a flooded drainage ditch on Christmas Eve.
The search entered its seventh day Monday. It was being led by Sherman Police and Sherman Fire-Rescue, with aid from the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR).
On Dec. 24, 8-year-old Clara Robinson was traveling with five other family members when their vehicle crashed off US-75 into a drainage ditch and was immediately flipped due to the force of the water, Sherman police said.
"Our efforts continue to be supported by state, local, and volunteer organizations. Their personnel and equipment have been very valuable in our work to find Clara," said the Sherman Police Department in a statement published Monday on their Facebook page.
"We urge the community to continue praying. Pray for our efforts to find Clara. Pray for continued good weather. Please, most importantly, pray for the Robinson family. This tragedy is unfathomable," Sherman police added.
No trace of Clara Robinson during last weekend's search
On Sunday, several rescue teams combed through floodwaters in an effort to recover the girl. Law enforcement officials from Sherman police and fire, the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, the Whitewright Fire Department, the Bells Fire Department, Tom Bean Fire Rescue, Texas-Search and Rescue and Brady Baskin, a local diver, all assisted in the search.
Despide inclement weather, teams also searched for Clara Robinson on Saturday, focusing on large piles of driftwood and possible eddies within the targeted search area. A Dallas Police Department Dive Team, and local diver Brady Baskin unsuccessfully searched those areas of the creek where water was too deep for other search teams.
A vigil was held Friday in Durant, Oklahoma, for Will Robinson, Clara's father and a beloved high school basketball coach.
The 36-year-old father has been hailed as a hero for his courageous efforts to try to save his daughter after their family vehicle crashed into a drainage ditch at US-75 and Taylor Street, police said.
Will Robinson fought to hold on to his daughter as long as he could before rising floodwaters overwhelmed him, authorities said. He did not survive. Four other family members, including a 5-year-old child, were rescued and have recently been released from area hospitals, Sherman police said on Friday.
Sherman police is urging the public to not donate any money to fundraisers that haven't been verified by the family. The only verified fundraiser is a bank account that was opened at First United Bank.