Search reaches 11th day for missing 8-year-old Oklahoma girl carried away by North Texas floodwaters
SHERMAN – The search entered its 11th day on Friday for an 8-year-old girl from Oklahoma who was carried away by floodwaters after her family's car hydroplaned into a flooded drainage ditch on Christmas Eve.
"Our goal is still to find Clara," Sherman police said in a social media post. "We pray today is the day."
Clara Robinson was traveling with five other family members when their vehicle crashed off U.S. 75 into a drainage ditch and was immediately flipped due to the force of the water, Sherman police said.
Her father, Will Robinson, a beloved Durant, Oklahoma, high school coach, died while attempting to save her after their family vehicle crashed into a drainage ditch at U.S. 75 and Taylor Street. He has been hailed as a hero for holding on to his daughter as long as he could before rising floodwaters overwhelmed him, authorities said.
Four other family members, including a 5-year-old child, were rescued and were recently released from area hospitals, police said.
Friday's search efforts involved multiple agencies, including the South-East Branch of the Oklahoma Disaster Task Force — which specializes in missing persons and disaster response — the Sherman Police Department, Sherman Fire-Rescue, Grayson County Sheriff's Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Department of Corrections, Collin County Sheriff's Office dive team, and Texas Search and Rescue, as stated in the social media post.
Meanwhile, guardrails are being installed on U.S. 75 near where the Robinson family crashed.
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.
