10-year-old swept away by floodwaters found dead after search, Texas cops say
A third grade student was swept away by a flood during a severe storm, Texas fire officials said. Searchers found her dead.
Screengrab from Brenham ISD on Facebook
A community-wide search located the body of a 10-year-old girl after she was swept away by floodwaters during a severe storm, Texas fire officials said.
The third grader, Devah Woods, vanished into the storm on May 5, which launched a dangerous hourslong search throughout Brenham, the fire department said in a Facebook post.
First responders immediately began search efforts after Woods went missing, police said, but officers were also caught in the threatening floods and rescued, according to officials.
'Our hearts are broken for Devah's family, and we ask that you continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this unimaginably difficult time,' Brenham Independent School District said in a May 6 news release.
Authorities from up to 24 agencies scoured bodies of water in the area for the girl, officials said, but the severe weather made efforts difficult.
Woods' body was found around 10 a.m. on May 6, authorities said.
'In the face of heartache, Brenham has shown what it means to come together—with strength, compassion, and unity,' fire officials said.
Brenham is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Houston.
Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom Go to X Email this person
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy's real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
3-year-old girl found dead in SUV outside Maine convenience store was left for more than 14 hours, police say
The body of a small dog was found on the floorboard, its head resting on the girl's right foot, police said. Advertisement The girl apparently died from Brown, who was visiting family in the area, has been charged with manslaughter. Her 67-year-old mother, who lives in Plymouth, Mass., had recently reported her daughter and granddaughter as missing and that her daughter's behavior had 'changed significantly' recently, according to the affidavit. The woman told police that they visited family in the area for about a month each summer. She said she believed Brown left Pennsylvania with her daughter on July 30 and stayed that night at her home in Plymouth, according to the affidavit. They left Plymouth and stayed at her summer home in Clifton, Maine, on July 31, and went to stay with Brown's grandmother on Ambajejus Lake from Aug. 1 to 7, according to the affidavit. Advertisement She said they were supposed to remain at the lake, and when they didn't, she called Brown. Brown said she and her daughter were camping along the Penobscot River, the affidavit stated. She told police Brown 'had been posting bizarre things on her social media accounts over the last few weeks,' and that around July 25 Brown had begun posting videos to her Facebook account, 'Health Coach Brown,' that she described as 'disturbing,' the affidavit stated. 'Kelly Brown reported to [her] that she had been hallucinating, was hearing voices of shamans, and seeing people that weren't there,' police said. 'Kelly Brown also said that the voices she was hearing were telling her what to do.' On Saturday, Brown told police that she locked her daughter and dog in the car and intended to return quickly but fell into the Penobscot River and was swept away. Brown allowed a detective to photograph 'numerous scratches and bruises on both her lower arms and lower legs,' police wrote. 'Kelly Brown claimed that the injuries had occurred when she fell down the embankment and into the Penobscot River.' When she was informed that her daughter and dog had died, Brown 'began to scream,' police wrote in the affidavit. She said they 'were her world, and she didn't know what to do,' police said. The child's body was taken to the chief medical examiner in Augusta, where an autopsy found that 'hyperthermia (an elevated body temperature) was consistent with the symptoms presented and was the most likely cause of death based on the current information,' State Police said. Advertisement According to the affidavit, the temperature had reached 82 degrees in Bangor on Aug. 9, and police noted that the interior temperature of a vehicle on a hot day can be 'dangerously higher than the ambient temperature outside.' Brown had an initial appearance Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center, where she was formally charged. Emily Sweeney can be reached at
2 hours ago
Glacier lake outburst at Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier causes record-breaking flooding
One of Alaska's most populated cities is bracing for potentially catastrophic flooding as a basin dammed within the Mendenhall Glacier has started to release rainwater and snowmelt downstream, according to officials. Suicide Basin, a side basin within the Mendenhall Glacier that sits above the city of Juneau, regularly releases glacier lake outburst floods, according to the National Weather Service. But recent measurements of water within the basement suggest the basin could release enough water to overwhelm the Mendenhall River and Mendenhall Lake, according to officials. By 7 a.m. local time, the Mendenhall River had reached a major flood stage at 16.51 feet and was continuing to rise -- surpassing the record flood stage set in 2024 of 15.99 feet, according to the NWS. Flood warnings have been issued for the lake and river due to the release. Residents along the flood zones have been urged to evacuate the area, with the peak flooding expected Wednesday around 8 a.m. local time. "Don't Wait. Evacuate TONIGHT," the City of Juneau wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night. City officials were warning residents early Wednesday to avoid driving on roads within the flood zone already inundated by water. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski posted to X on Wednesday, warning of how dire the situation could become. "This is likely to become a life-threatening situation," Murkowski said. "If you are told to evacuate, stop what you are doing and immediately go to an emergency shelter or another safe location." Floodwaters are expected to fall below the flood stage through Thursday, according to the NWS. Mendenhall is a popular tourist attraction in Alaska, but the retreating glacier -- which acts as a dam for Suicide Basin -- has caused flooding in the region every summer in recent years after it refills with water from rain and melting snow in the spring. In 2023, a glacier lake outburst at Mendenhall's Suicide Basin destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River as the water rushed downstream. The record flooding prompted city officials in Juneau to issue an emergency declaration. The outburst, which caused a decade's worth of erosion in one weekend, would not have happened without climate change, NOAA said in 2023. Alaska has warmed twice as fast as any U.S. state over the last several decades, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Suicide Basin has been releasing glacier lake outburst floods since 2011, so the National Weather Service in Juneau's monitoring program has a camera pointed directly at the basin to see how much water levels are rising and falling. Record-breaking flooding from Suicide Basin also occurred in 2024, which damaged nearly 300 homes, The Associated Press reported. Glaciers in Alaska have been experiencing a steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the state's Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Globally, glaciers are at risk of significant ice loss due to climate change, scientists say. Glaciers around the world lost an estimated 7,211 billion tons of ice between 2000 and 2023, equating to an average annual loss of 301 billion tons, according to a Nature study published in February. The rate of ice loss has increased by about 36% in the past two decades, the researchers found. Even if warming were to stabilize at current levels, the world's glaciers would still likely lose at least 39% of mass, according to the World Economic Forum.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
ICE Detains Woman in US for 17 Years Since Age 7 After Traffic Stop
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Giovanna Hernandez-Martinez, a 24-year-old Leeds, Alabama, resident and community advocate, was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a traffic stop by local police on the highway. ICE records reviewed by Newsweek show that she is being held at the Richwood Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana. Why it Matters Hernandez-Martinez has been described by friends and family as a counselor and organizer who worked with immigrant youth. She arrived in the United States at age 7 and was raised in Alabama, ultimately graduating as valedictorian of her high school class and later earning both her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work. She has her own LLC and also works at Birmingham-based ¡HICA!, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant families, according to her brother, Dilan Hernandez, who spoke to The Trump administration continues to strongly enforce its immigration-based agenda, which it has touted due to large-scale decreases in illegal migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border since President Donald Trump came into office. The administration has faced pushback from portions of Americans who have questioned the tactics and end goals of such policies, including detaining and in some instances deporting non-violent and non-criminal immigrants. Giovanna Hernandez-Martinez, a 24-year-old Leeds, Alabama, resident and community advocate, was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a traffic stop by local police on the highway. Giovanna Hernandez-Martinez, a 24-year-old Leeds, Alabama, resident and community advocate, was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a traffic stop by local police on the highway. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images/ What To Know Leeds Police, in an August 8 Facebook post that includes dash cam footage, said that an officer in an unmarked vehicle observed a "young lady, who only possessed a Mexico-Issued Identification," who "was traveling at least up to 91 mph as recorded on the dash in and out of traffic and following too close." "Also, the windows are darkly tinted on the Honda that she was driving," the post says. "We have a duty to protect the public and must stop individuals who are recklessly driving on our streets and highways. We would not have stopped her or had any idea of our immigration status if she would have been operating her vehicle safely." Leeds Police Chief Paul Irwin issued a statement last Thursday claiming Hernandez-Martinez's vehicle "came within feet of striking other vehicles and erratically changed lanes." Authorities said Hernandez-Martinez produced a Mexican identification card when asked for a driver's license, prompting federal immigration agents to arrive at the scene and take her into custody. Newsweek reached out Irwin and the department via email for comment. Irwin's recounting of events has been disputed by Hernandez-Martinez's family members, as well as Facebook users who commented on the police department's post and attached dash cam footage. "On the dash cam it was obvious that wasn't the case at all," her brother, Dilan Hernandez, told "My sister was speeding a little bit, but we feel that, under the circumstances, it wasn't fair at all." Facebook user Emily Barfield commented the following under the video: "This is exactly the video I was expecting. Where's the erratic driving? Where did she almost hit multiple vehicles? I see her switching lanes, with a blinker, to get over when you're pulling her over. Yes, oh so erratic." Newsweek reached out to Dilan via a GoFundMe contact form. Petitions And Fundraisers A petition "demanding the Release of Giovanna Hernandez" was started one week ago. As of Wednesday afternoon, it received more than 17,000 signatures. "Gio has no criminal record," the petition reads. "She has spent years working toward lawful permanent residency but, like many others, has faced systemic barriers and even been scammed during the process. Her detainment is not only legally questionable—it is morally wrong. "This is personal for us. Giovanna is not just a name. She is our friend, colleague, mentor, and inspiration. She represents everything we want in a citizen: integrity, compassion, hard work, and a deep love for her community. Deporting her would be a grave injustice not just to her, but to all of us who believe in fairness, opportunity, and human dignity." A GoFundMe was started six days ago by Dilan Hernandez, raising nearly $33,500 as of Wednesday afternoon. A post in a "Class of 2017" Facebook group includes former high school colleagues of hers coming to her defense. Shelby Luna, who said in the post she graduated one year before Hernandez-Martinez, said she graduated twice from Jacksonville State University—"both times with an exceptional GPA." She also served as a campus ambassador, resident assistant, and active participant in Delight Ministries, El Latido, and many other campus organizations and events. What People Are Saying Gina Martinez, the mother of Giovanna Hernandez Martinez, on Sunday to and aided by a translator: "I worry, if the judge does not set the bond hearing and up until the court date, and, obviously, she does get sent back to Mexico. All of our family is here, all of her siblings, she has built her education here, she has all of her friends here." Dilan Hernandez on his sister's GoFundMe page: "Not only is she an impeccable woman with a strong moral character, but she is also a distinguished professional. ... She takes pride in advocating for her community, and those without a voice. Now, its our turn to use our voices to fight for her and defend her." Carlos E. Alemán, CEO of ¡HICA!, in an August 7 statement calling for Hernandez-Martinez's release: "Giovanna is not only a trusted community partner, she is a role model. She brings purpose and heart to everything she does. Her contributions have touched families and young people throughout Alabama, and her detention is a painful loss for the entire community." What Happens Next Hernandez-Martinez is scheduled to appear in court on August 20, when her legal team and family are expected to seek bond. ICE custody and detention decisions and the court process will determine whether she remains detained or is released pending proceedings.
