Currently the number of individuals listed as missing following the Hays County flooding is two children.
The first individuals identified immediately following the Memorial Weekend flooding were Jose Alvero Arteaga-Pichardo (29) found May 24 and Dayton Larry Thomas (74) who was found May 26 following the discovery of their bodies.
On Wednesday, May 27th, recovery crews located the body of a male child along the banks of the Blanco River near Water Park Road in rural Hays County. The body had been sent to Central Texas Autopsy for identification. As of May 29th, the boy has been identified as Andrew McComb.
On Thursday, May 28th, members of the Texas Task Force 1 located an adult male’s body on the banks of the Blanco River in San Marcos. The body has been taken to Central Texas Autopsy for identification. As of May 29th, the adult male has been identified as Ralph Hugh Carey (73).
Cypress Creek in Wimberley, Texas Photo by Laura-Lynn Aebi.
Five of the individuals missing include Sue McNeil Carey, (71) whose body was found May 30th, and was the mother of Michelle Marie Carey-Charba (43) whose body was found Tuesday, May 26th. Ralph Hugh Carey is the husband and father of Michelle Carey-Charba. Michelle’s husband William Randall Charba (42) was found June 6 along Bluffview Drive, however their only child William Charba (6) still remains unaccounted for.
Along with the Carey-Charba’s missing family members is their family friends, the McComb family. Though husband Jonathan McComb (36) was rescued 12 miles from where the vacation home was located and transported to a San Antonio hospital, his wife Laura Shultz McComb’s (34) body was discovered May 30 and one of their children Leighton McComb (4) remains missing. Johnathan Andrew McComb (6) was the son of Jonathan and Laura. Jonathan was treated afterwards for a collapsed lung, a broken sternum and broken ribs. The McCombs’ yellow lab Maggie was found alive.
The Carey-Charba family owned a home in Wimberley, Texas located off Blanco River when the heavy rain began to fall. Their home was soon swept away by the flash flooding after being knocked loose from its foundation and sent off into the river. All seven were last seen at 100 Deer Crossing, Wimberley. Johnathan McComb is also the son of former Nueces County Commissioner Joe McComb.
Johnathan, Laura, Leighton and Andrew McComb via Hays County Sheriff’s Department
The eighth person who was listed as missing is Kenneth Reissig (81) who was last seen at FM 32 at 473 in Blanco County. He is the oldest among those missing and a Marine Corps veteran. Reissig was heading home with his step-son’s from a family member’s wedding when their family car became flooded. The family members evacuated the vehicle where Reissig was then swept away by the water. Kenneth’s body was discovered May 28 near the Hays/ Blanco County line.
Currently Leighton McComb (4) and William Charba (6) remain missing. They were both last seen at 100 Deer Crossing Lane in Wimberley, Texas.
If you are displaced or think your loved ones may be looking for you, report your safety to: 512-393-7896.
Those looking for loved ones should call the Hays County Emergency Operations Center at 512-753-2180.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Memorial Weekend Flooding call the updated hotline 512 753 2320.
By Matthew Hamill Assistant News Director “Today Texans are hurting,” were Senator Ted Cruz’s first words to the media as they gathered at the San Marcos Police Department. San Marcos, Wimberley and Houston are just some of the cities devastated by the recent storms that have plagued Texas. Cruz described the damage he personally witnessed as “unimaginable.” “I saw a large concrete bridge that the Blanco River took out all […]
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