Girl, 10, Found Dead After Being Swept Away by Floodwaters While Walking Home from School with Sister

• Devah Woods, 10, went missing amid flooding in Brenham, Texas, due to severe storms on Monday, May 5
• Following an intensive search, she was found dead the following morning
• “We ask everyone to continue thinking and praying for Devah’s family during this unimaginable time,” read a statement from city officials

A 10-year-old girl who was swept away by floodwaters in Texas has been found dead, according to authorities.

“With profound sadness, the City of Brenham confirms that at approximately 10:00 AM on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 10-year-old Devah Woods, a third-grade student at Brenham Elementary, was found deceased following a two-day intensive search,” officials wrote in a news release.

“Our hearts are with the Woods family as they navigate this devastating loss,” they added.

Woods went missing on Monday, May 5, after severe storms caused fast-rising floodwaters to move through Brenham, according to the Brenham Fire Department.

Around 4:30 p.m. local time that day, Woods and her sister were walking home from school when the floods swept her up, according to ABC affiliate KTRK-TV and local Fox station KDFW. Her sister was able to find help and is safe.

“This is normal behavior for her to walk home and walk by the creek and get to her house. This was nothing unusual,” Melinda Gordon, with the City of Brenham, told KTRK-TV. “This was a quickly rising creek that nobody could have seen coming.”

Several bystanders and police officers attempted to rescue Woods, but the flood took her away. One officer was also swept away by the water during the rescue attempt but was located downstream and treated by EMS.

Rescue efforts utilized land-based search teams as well as drones equipped with thermal imaging and specially trained canines, officials said, noting that a total of 24 local agencies joined in the search to find her.

At a press conference, Lieutenant Steven Tyler said their hearts went out to Devah’s mother, Veronica Williams, as well as the girl’s entire family, according to local station KBTX-TV.

In their statement, officials wrote that the girl’s death “has deeply affected our community.”