Five confirmed deaths in Burnet County
Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd (left) and Chief Deputy Alan Trevino shared the status of the missing and the dead in Burnet County on Monday, July 7, following severe flooding in Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Five people are confirmed dead and two people are still missing after flash flooding over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, which held a media conference in Burnet at 2 p.m. Monday. First responders rescued 62 people in total.
At least 89 people have been killed across Central Texas during the flash floods, according to the Associated Press, with the majority in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River swept through Kerrville and the surrounding countryside.
In the Highland Lakes, only two names of the five confirmed dead have been released, and one verified by DailyTrib.com. The names of most of the missing and dead have not yet been made public. The body of another victim was recovered on Monday morning.
“We are still in an active search, and we are doing everything we can to find the other two folks that we have missing,” Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd said during Monday’s media conference.
Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips is still missing as of Monday. He was swept away while attempting to cross Cow Creek on FM 1174 during a rescue. His vehicle and some personal effects have been recovered, but the search for the chief continues.
The other missing person is believed to be in the Burnet area.
The body of 22-year-old Preston Prince was recovered on Sunday. He was reportedly swept away in his vehicle along Park Road 4. His body was found 8 miles downriver, according to the BCSO.
Another victim of the flood, Lee Brizendine, was an elderly resident of Pafford Place assisted living in Burnet. He reportedly tried to leave the complex on Hamilton Creek when he was swept away by floodwaters. Ed Schaefer, whose daughter-in-law and stepson own Pafford Place and Wildflower Meadows Independent Living, told DailyTrib.com that his grandson saw Brizendine by his apartment unit’s front door on July 5 before he was taken by floodwaters. His body was recovered about 5 miles downstream, according to Schaefer.
DailyTrib.com will continue to provide details on the search for the missing as they are made available.
CORRECTION: The original story misnamed the place where flood victim Lee Brizendine lived. He was a resident of Pafford Place, which is a separate business from, but on the same campus with Wildflower Meadows Independent Living. Also, Ed Schaefer’s relationship to the owners was incorrect. They are his daughter-in-law and stepson, and not daughter and son-in-law. DailyTrib.com regrets the errors.