Aidan Heartfield, a graduate of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, is still unaccounted for as recovery operations continue.
BEAUMONT, Texas — The body of a Kelly High School grad has been found after catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country killed more than 100 people over the weekend, leaving only one member of a group of four young adults still missing.
Ella Cahill’s body was found Tuesday, her sister confirmed on social media. Aidan Heartfield, Cahill’s boyfriend and a fellow graduate of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, remains unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continue near Hunt.
“My beautiful, intelligent, & loving sister, Ella, has been found. Although we are grateful for answers, it still hurts the same. It’s not fair. She needed more time. We all needed more time with her. I’m mad, sad, but at peace knowing she isn’t suffering anymore,” Mackenzie Hodulik, Ella’s sister, wrote on Facebook late Tuesday night.
The bodies of her friends, Joyce Badon, 21, also a Kelly alum and Reese Manchaca, of Montgomery County, were found Monday. Their families confirmed the deaths on social media.
Heartfield is the last missing member of the group of four young adults who went missing during the flooding that began Friday morning. The four were staying at a home along the Guadalupe River for the weekend when the disaster struck.
“Last we heard from them was at 4 a.m. They were trying to escape home to get to higher ground,” Mackenzie Hodulik, Ella’s sister, said in a previous Facebook post.
Ty Badon, Joyce’s father, told CNN that he spoke with his daughter’s group during their final phone call.
“[Aidan] gave the phone to Joyce and [she] said, ‘They just got washed away,’ and a few seconds later, the phone went dead,” Ty Badon said. “That’s all we know. We presume that she got washed away as well.”
The group was last known to be near State Highway 39 in Hunt. Ty Badon said the house where the four were staying was no longer there when he searched the area.
The flooding has devastated the region, with Kerr County officials reporting the death toll has risen to over 100 people. Among the victims was Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland, who died while trying to save campers from the floods.
Camp Mystic, which had more than 750 campers attending, lost 27 campers and counselors, according to camp operators. The body of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker, a St. Anne Catholic School student from Beaumont who was staying at the camp, was also found Monday.
“We will not stop until every single person is found,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said. “It’s going to take a while.”
The Cahill family has requested privacy to focus their energy on locating their daughter and supporting broader search efforts. Parents of the missing students have traveled to the area to coordinate with search and rescue teams.
Beaumont Fire Rescue deployed one firefighter with Texas Task Force One to assist with search and rescue operations. The United Cajun Navy also joined the rescue efforts, with Vice President Brian Trascher saying water conditions have made it dangerous for first responders.
“The water conditions have made it very dangerous for first responders, so they’re relying mostly on helicopters to find people,” Trascher said.
Officials report more than 850 people have been rescued from the flooding so far, with many clinging to trees and waiting hours for help.
The Diocese of Beaumont is working with families to confirm information about the missing students and coordinate response efforts. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica held a special Mass Saturday morning for all those affected by the Hill Country flooding.
“There are families from Beaumont who have children and loved ones there, and we need to be lifting them up and as a community we need to come together for one another,” Beaumont Mayor Roy West said.
The flooding began Friday morning and tore through Kerr County without warning. Additional fatalities were reported in Travis and Burnet counties after heavy rains led to flooding in parts of Central Texas on Saturday.
Search and rescue operations continue as authorities work to locate the remaining missing persons.