As rescue crews continue to scour through floodwaters that dragged the 8-year-old girl away on Christmas Eve, the search for her entered its fourth day on Friday.
Jason Jeffcoat, the chief of Sherman police, identified the child as Clara Robinson in an update on Friday. Authorities hailed Clara Robinson’s father, Will Robinson, 36, as a hero for his heroic efforts to save his daughter after their family automobile collided with a drainage ditch near Highway 75 and Taylor Street.
Authorities report that Will Robinson, a beloved basketball coach, tried to keep his daughter close to him before rising floodwaters overwhelmed him. He was killed.
Sherman police reported on Friday that they had rescued and released four other family members, including a 5-year-old child, from local hospitals.
On Friday, during a joint news conference with other local and state law enforcement agencies, Bart Bowman, deputy chief of operations with Sherman Fire-Rescue, stated, “We have reports that the father did have the little girl in his arms at one point during the event, and later they were seen; they weren’t together, so it looked like he was trying to save her, definitely.”
Inclement weather hampered this week’s search, making it difficult for first responders. However, as the skies cleared on Friday afternoon, the Department of Public Safety dispatched a helicopter to aid the mission.
Finding 8-year-old Clara Robinson
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Sherman Fire-Rescue, and Texas Task Force 2 are among the rescue teams focusing on the crash site and expanding their search area to a 10-mile radius from Choctaw Creek to Post Oak Creek.
Jeffcoat reported that a 5-year-old child, one of the four survivors of the collision, narrowly escaped drowning in a powerful river. First responders rescued her from the creek, and after she fell unconscious, they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her in the back of an ambulance.
“To be able to bring that child back to life is amazing,” Jeffcoat stated. “In a tragic time like this, it’s still a glimpse of hope that God’s good.”
The following day, the hospital discharged her, and she went home with her mother and siblings.
Jeffcoat also warned the public about fraudulent accounts asking for donations on behalf of the Robinson family. He asked the public to double-check any requests for donations before making them.
“Our main priority the past four days has been, and continues to be, finding this 8-year-old girl,” Jeffcoat stated. “We ask our community to continue praying for the family during this unfathomable time of grief.”
Given the harsh weather and the extent of the area, Sherman police said they were hoping for a miracle in the search on Thursday.
“We haven’t changed the title of it. We’re still searching and hoping for a miracle,” Lt. Sam Boyle stated.
“We’re going to continue looking until we find Clara,” he stated.