UPDATE 7/7/25 at 7:30 A.M.: Early Monday, Camp Mystic confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and counselors.
More details here.
(ORIGINAL STORY)
The number of people killed in the Central Texas flooding is continuing to increase.
As of Sunday afternoon, 68 people, including 28 children, are confirmed dead in Kerr County, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. Ten girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp on the Guadalupe River, are still unaccounted for, Leitha said.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that another 10 people were killed in other areas of Central Texas due to flooding.
An unknown number of people are presumed missing in the Kerr County area.
>> Who remains missing after flood waters swept through Texas Hill Country
Here’s what we know about the victims:
Lila Bonner
Lila Bonner, a camper at Camp Mystic, died in the floods, according to an Instagram post from her mother, Caitlin Bonner.
“Our family is grieving and processing this unimaginable loss together,” the post said. “We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from this community.”
Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland
Richard “Dick” Eastland, the director of Camp Mystic, was among the people killed due to the Hill Country floods, according to media reports.
The Kerrville Daily Times confirmed longtime owner Eastland was killed while trying to save girls at the camp. Eastland’s nephew was the first to announce the death on Facebook in a post that has since been deleted or made unavailable.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post that Eastland died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,” guest columnist Paige Sumner said in the Daily Times’ tribute to Eastland.
Campers reportedly saw Eastland as a father figure while they were away from home at Camp Mystic. Eastland, a father of four boys, “had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad,” Sumner said.
Blaire and Brooke Harber
Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber were staying along the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, the Associated Press reported.
The girls were both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas. According to the Associated Press, Blair was a rising eighth grader and Brooke was a rising sixth grader.
Pastor Joshua J. Whitfield of St. Rita Catholic Community, which shares a campus with the school, said the girls’ parents, Annie and RJ Harber, were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but their grandparents were unaccounted for. Annie Harber has been a longtime teacher at the school, according to the Associated Press.
“We will honor Blair and Brooke’s lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them,” Whitfield wrote in a Saturday letter to parishioners. “And we will surround Annie, RJ, and their extended family with the strength and support of our St. Rita community.”
The church held a special prayer service on Saturday afternoon and offered counseling.
“Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief,” Whitfield wrote. “May our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead.”
Ai Lorio, 66
Ai Lorio was inside his Ingram home in the 1000 block of State Highway 39 when the floods occurred, a family friend told KSAT.
Lorio, 66, was confirmed dead on Sunday, the family friend said.
Sarah Marsh, 8
Sarah Marsh, 8, had been attending Camp Mystic when floodwaters swept through, according to the Associated Press.
Sarah was a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, the Associated Press reported.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said the community was “heartbroken” over Sarah’s death.
“Sarah’s passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her,” Welch said.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama also noted Marsh’s death on Facebook, saying, “We continue to pray for the victims’ loved ones, the survivors, those who are still missing, and our brave first responders as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas.”
Jane Ragsdale, 68
Jane Ragsdale, director of Heart O’ the Hills camp, was killed in the floods, according to a statement from the camp.
The Heart O’ the Hills camp is located on the Guadalupe River in Hunt. The camp was in between sessions when the flooding occurred, and no campers were in residence, the statement said.
The camp website describes Ragsdale as “the heart and soul of Heart O’ the Hills.”
In a statement to the Associated Press, the camp said Ragsdale, 68, “had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important.”
Ragsdale, who has co-owned the all-girls camp since 1976, started as a camper and counselor and became camp director in 1988, according to the website.
“We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane’s death,” the statement said. “She embodied the spirit of Heart O’ the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer.”
Renee Smajstrla
Renee Smajstrla, of Ingram, died in the floods while attending Camp Mystic, a family member confirmed to KSAT.
“We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from (Thursday),” a family member said in a Facebook post. “She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.”
Jeff Wilson
Jeff Wilson, a teacher at Kingwood Park High School, died in the Kerrville flooding, the Humble Independent School District said Saturday.
In a post on X, the district said Wilson was a 30-year veteran in the district, located north of Houston. He taught at Kingwood Park High School in Kingwood and previously worked at Humble High School.
His wife, Amber, and son, Shiloh, are still considered missing as of Saturday night, the district said.
“He was a beloved teacher and co-worker to many and will be deeply missed,” the district said.
Reece and Paula Zunker
Tivy boys soccer coach Reece Zunker and his wife Paula died in the Hill Country floods, according to the team and the Kerrville Daily Times.
A family member told KSAT the parents were in their 30s.
The couple’s two children are still missing as of Saturday, the Kerrville Daily Times reported.
“Our Tivy Soccer & KISD community is heartbroken with the loss of our leader and inspiration,” the team said in a Facebook post. “Coach Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach he was a mentor, teacher and a role model for our Kerrville kids.”
The post concluded with the motto from his favorite soccer team, Liverpool: “You’ll never walk alone.”
Bobby and Amanda Martin
Bobby and Amanda Martin were found dead, according to a family friend who identified the pair on Sunday evening.
“Their friends said they were two of the most caring and compassionate friends a person could ask for,” a family friend said. “They loved their family and friends more than anything in this world they would gladly give the shirts of their backs to a friend in need.”
Related coverage on KSAT.com :
- How to help those affected by Texas Hill Country floods
- San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones outlines city support for Kerrville flood relief
- Estimated 100 billion gallons of rain fell on Kerr County July 4. That’s more than Niagara Falls’ daily flow