A beloved basketball coach has been found dead and his 8-year-old daughter is missing after a Christmas Eve tragedy.
Will Robinson, a high school basketball coach from Durant, Oklahoma, died when his family’s SUV was swept away by raging floodwaters on Tuesday in nearby Sherman, Texas.
Now, a frantic search is underway for his daughter, Clara.
Four other family members were pulled to safety, but Robinson’s young daughter remains missing despite extensive search efforts.
‘It likely had to do with a large accumulation of water and maybe some hydroplaning, which is a very dangerous situation,’ Lieutenant Samuel Boyle said.
‘Once they’re in that drainage ditch, they’re really at the mercy of the water flow and the speed at which that’s going down. It’s a tragedy, it really is.’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed state search and rescue teams to assist in the search – which by Wednesday afternoon had already covered seven miles of creek bed without success.
Search efforts were expanded to include the lower branches of Post Oak and Choctaw creeks, as teams planned to resume their efforts before daylight Thursday.
Will Robinson, a beloved high school basketball coach from Durant, Oklahoma , died when his family’s SUV was swept away by raging floodwaters on Tuesday in Sherman, Texas .
Now, a frantic search is underway for his daughter, Clara
‘Extensive searches have been ongoing the past 36 hours,’ police said late Wednesday afternoon.
‘As of this time, efforts to locate the 8-year-old girl have not been successful.’
The Sherman Police Department has requested privacy for the family during this ‘unimaginable period of grief.’
‘Lastly, but most importantly, we ask everyone to please respect the privacy the family is asking for at this time, in this unimaginable period of grief,’ the department said.
‘When we have an update to this case that we can share, we will let everyone know.’
They also politely declined additional assistance and donations in order to maintain focus on the search.
‘Sherman, you all are relentlessly kind in many ways – how you continually want to bring us snacks and beverages, for example,’ Sherman police added.
‘Respectfully, we do not need anything else at this time.
Four other family members were pulled to safety, but Robinson’s young daughter remains missing despite extensive search efforts
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed state search and rescue teams to assist in the search
‘Receiving those donations requires some work, and right now, 100 percent of our efforts need to be focused on finding this 8-year-old girl.’
Lieutenant Boyle issued a warning to other drivers about the dangers of flood conditions, as reported by KXII.
‘Please drive very carefully,’ Boyle warned.
‘Even if you think your vehicle can make it through some large standing water, please consider going around and taking another route because once you hit that standing water, you’ve really lost control of your vehicle.’
Robinson joined Durant Public Schools in 2019 as a teacher and coach of the Durant Lady Lions basketball team.
He has been remembered in an outpouring of social media tributes, including one from his cousin, Susan Sumsurf.
‘This is just devastating, and happening on Christmas Eve makes it unbearable,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Will was one of the good ones—a devoted husband and father, a beloved basketball coach, and just a great person.’
By Wednesday afternoon, search efforts had expanded to include the lower branches of Post Oak and Choctaw creeks, as teams planned to resume their efforts before daylight Thursday
The Sherman Police Department has requested privacy for the family during this ‘unimaginable period of grief’
Robinson’s colleague, Fasiri Ellison, shared a touching tribute on Facebook
His colleague, Fasiri Ellison, also shared a touching tribute on Facebook.
‘They ALL hurt, but this one is also painful, hard to understand or even stomach ‘In my flesh I keep asking,why?’ he wrote.
‘Encouraged to see so many people honoring your Legacy and the type of young man you were.
‘A Christian Coach and not just a coach who happened to be a Christian. Well Done Sir.’
