SHERMAN, Texas — Crews continued for the fifth consecutive day to search for a missing 8-year-old girl who was involved in a crash near Highway 75 on Christmas Eve in Sherman, Texas.
The Sherman Police Department responded to the scene near Highway 75 around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Lieutenant Sam Boyle told WFAA a family of six from Oklahoma was headed to McKinney for the holiday, when they likely hydroplaned off the highway near Taylor Street, got trapped in a drainage ditch and traveled down Post Oak Creek towards Houston Street.
Police said the father in the family – identified Friday as Will Robinson – died, and his 8-year-old daughter – identified as Clara Robinson – was missing as of Friday morning. Robinson was a coach in Durant ISD, according to a letter sent from the Durant ISD Superintendent to parents in the community.
The mother, and her 3, 5, and 16-year-old children were all rescued. Police said in Friday’s update that the mother and three rescued children had been released from the hospital and were recovering at home.
“They’re wonderful people, which makes this so much harder,” Boyle told WFAA.
Rain on Thursday hindered the search for the 8-year-old girl. Police had to pull crews that were in the creek out of it, and instead, they watched the water from the ground.
“So we still have teams out there, who are watching and looking and monitoring,” Boyle said.
By late afternoon Thursday, crews began to deploy back into the water. Boyle said people from all over town continue to show up offering to search.
“We just ask that let our task force work this and don’t go out and take matters into your own hands,” he said, noting adding more people into the water who are not first responders could lead to more emergencies.
If you want to help, Boyle said there is something we can all do.
“Pray that the weather cooperates and pray she is found quickly,” Boyle said.
His officers are praying too. Not just for that little girl to be found quickly, but also that she’s somehow still alive.
“Truthfully? We’re holding out hope,” Boyle told WFAA. “However strange that might seem.”
Sherman PD said it stopped the search Friday at sunset and will resume Saturday at 7 a.m.
Boyle said it was raining very hard at the time of the crash, and that three other people have died from similar accidents in the same drainage ditch over the last several years.
On Wednesday, a change.org petition was created imploring the state to add guardrails to the ditch.
By Saturday morning, the petition had more than 11,000 signatures with many individuals leaving comments. Some of those comments referenced another accident involving David Pyles, a Denison resident.
In July, KXII in Sherman interviewed Pyles who hydroplaned off the same stretch of highway and was stuck in the drainage ditch.
“I had no light, couldn’t even see my hands or anything. So all by feel. And I just kept saying, Lord, you got to get me out here,” Pyles said in the interview.
He was able to escape and has pushed for more safety measures as well.
“Having something that can keep people from at least getting into that ditch,” said Pyles.
TxDOT documents showed plans to expand the U.S. Hwy 75 near Taylor Street. Those plans also include the possible reconstruction of a new storm drain system. To view those plans, click here.