A Kentfield family is among the missing after Friday's flash floods in Central Texas. Mark Walker, 52, who's the brother of former Giants pitcher Tyler Walker, Mark's wife, Sara, 50, and their son Johnny, 14, were visiting Hunt, Texas. Their daughter Ellie was reportedly rescued from summer camp.
As the Chronicle reports, Mark's cousin wrote on Facebook that the family disappeared during the flooding. Mark’s brother Tyler Walker, who pitched for the Giants from 2004 to 2008, currently lives in San Rafael and declined to comment.
As KTVU reports, friends and family shared the Walkers’ photos and urged the public to come forward with any information as the death toll from the flooding climbed past 80. In Kerr County, search teams have recovered 68 bodies—including 28 children—along the Guadalupe River, where several summer camps were hit hard.
At sunset on Sunday, around 400 people gathered on the baseball fields at Bacich Elementary in Kentfield for a candlelight vigil. Adults and children stood in silence, many holding candles or white roses. “We all love them,” one speaker told the crowd. “Keep the faith.”
“She was from there. I think her mom lived down there,” said Pete Johnson, a nearby resident, as reported by KGO. “They were just up the street from us. I know our kids went to the same school about the same age. It’s just a terrible tragedy.”
Marin Catholic High School, where the Walkers have connections, is planning a prayer service on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the St. Francis Chapel. “We are still praying for a miracle in hopes that Ellie will be reunited with her mom, dad, and brother,” the school wrote in a statement.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 41 people remain unaccounted for statewide, and that number could still rise. Search efforts continue, including for 10 girls and a counselor from one of the flooded camps.
This story is developing.
Image: Angela Walker Murphy/Facebook