Texas floods: Missing girl, 9, found dead after being washed away in summer camp horror

A missing 9-year-old girl has been found dead after she was washed away in a horror flood during summer camp.

Renee Smajstrla's family confirmed the child had died after deadly flooding hit Texas while she had been at a camp for the holidays. The nine-year-old had been at Camp Mystic in Hunt, around 80 miles north west of San Antonio. At least 23 children at the Christian summer camp for girls, where 750 girls were spending their summers, went missing after Friday's catastrophic floods.

Renee's heartbroken uncle Shawn shared an emotional tribute to his nine-year-old niece on Facebook and thanked emergency services for their work. He said: "Thank you to all our friends and family for all the prayers and outreach.

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"Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly. We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.

"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic. Please continue to pray for the other families in Kerrville. We are now trying to make our way home from Italy to be with Michelle’s family."

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas confirmed at least 23 girls from the camp, along the Guadalupe River, were missing after devastating floods struck Central Texas and brought around a foot of rain to the area.

Dan Patrick said: "That does not mean they've been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We're praying for all of those missing to be found alive."

The co-owner of another local summer camp, Heart O’ The Hills, is also confirmed to have died in the horror floods. A message from the camp said: "Thankfully, camp was not in session, and most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground.

"However, we have received word that Jane Ragsdale did not make it. We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful."

The Guadalupe River, near the town of Kerrville, broke its banks across several rural towns after the water rose more than 22-feet overnight on Friday. Several months of rainfall battered the area in just a few hours.

At least 24 people people have been killed by these fatal floods and at least 400 emergency personnel, 14 helicopters and 12 drones have been deployed in the desperate search for people. Heartbroken parents have even frantically posted pictures of their missing children online in the hopes that people will step forward with information.