Two More Texas Flood Victims Identified, Including Mom Washed Away in House

ByPAUL H.B. SHIN ABCNews logo
Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Authorities have identified two bodies found last week in the wreckage of the Memorial Day weekend flood, including Laura McComb, 34, who was in a house that was washed away by flood waters in Wimberley, Texas.

McComb and her two children, Andrew, 6, and Leighton, 4, were missing after a home they were in was washed away by the raging waters of the Blanco River, according to The Associated Press.

Andrew's body was identified Friday, authorities said, and Leighton remains missing.

"The outpouring of love and support for our family has been inspiring. People who don't even know Laura, Andrew and Leighton have spent countless hours searching and praying for them. It's uplifting," her family said in a statement released tonight. "The kindness and hard work of volunteers allows us to take Laura and Andrew home so we can lay them to rest. We can't thank you enough for helping us through this difficult time."

Andrew's father, Jonathan McComb, suffered a collapsed lung, broken rib and shattered sternum as the flood waters smashed the house, but he survived.

The family had been celebrating Memorial Day weekend with a bigger group of friends from Corpus Christi, Texas.

The body of Sue McNeil Carey, 71, was also identified today using medical and dental records, authorities said.

In all, eight bodies have been recovered in Hays County, Texas, and all but one has been identified, authorities said.

In addition to Leighton McComb, three other people remain listed as missing, authorities said today.

At least 23 people have been confirmed dead during a week of heavy rains and flooding in Texas.

Jonathan McComb's father, Joe McComb, last week described his grandson, Andrew, as a young boy who enjoyed playing baseball and was "full of energy, a lovable kid."

At the time, he said he was grasping at hope for the survival Andrew and the rest of the family.

"Jonathan said [that] as they were going down the river, the house hit a bridge and it took the top part of the house off, and with the bottom gone and the top gone, the house just basically splintered," Joe McComb said.

The family knew it was going to rain, but not so consistently and powerfully. As the water poured down, Laura McComb made a frantic phone call to her sister, Julia Shields.

"She called me, she said 'I'm in a house. I'm floating down the river. Tell mom and dad I love you and pray,'" Shields told ABC affiliate KVUE-TV.

ABC News' Bonnie McLean, Dan Good, Meghan Keneally and Michael S. James contributed to this report.

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