It would have been a miraculous tale: Two young girls found clinging to tree branches high off the ground one day after being swept six miles downriver in Texas, where flash flooding left dozens dead and more unaccounted for over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
But it turned out to be false, and an example of how misinformation can flourish on the internet in fast-moving breaking news events.
In the hours and days after the flood hit, shocking footage of the fast-moving Guadalupe River outside San Antonio made the rounds on social media, horrifying viewers with the speed at which the river spilled over its banks and kept rising. Children’s summer camps had been hit, and campers were missing.
At least one official, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), urged caution at a press conference on Friday.
Sometimes, he said, missing does not mean lost.
“They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication,” Patrick told reporters. “We’re praying for all of those missing to be found alive. We’re doing everything we can to get in there.”
It is not clear precisely where the false story of the girls originated.
The Kerr County Lead, a local news outlet, published the story claiming it as fact “after receiving numerous messages about the girls, along with social media reports from volunteers exclaiming the rescue,” the paper said in a later retraction.
“Like everyone, we wanted this story to be true, but it’s a classic tale of misinformation that consumes all of us during a natural disaster,” the paper’s editor, Louis Amestoy, said in a statement.
Among the first individuals to amplify the story was an Austin-based volunteer, Cord Shiflet, who works as a real estate agent but has been helping coordinate the community response to the flood and runs a popular Facebook page.
Shiflet apologized profusely on Sunday once he learned the story was not accurate. He said he was given the information by Texas Department of Public Safety officials — people who had on “DPS shirts with their badges and guns and radio communications” — along with a Kerr County fire official.
“I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m sick to my stomach,” Shiflet said.
“I never want to sensationalize any type of story and just want to share the facts,” he added.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) noted on X that the rescue had not actually happened, as well, urging caution.
“It’s not fair to families and it distracts law enforcement,” wrote Roy, who represents an area affected by the flooding.
The Kerr County Lead also acknowledged that pushing incorrect narratives — even if well-intentioned — can create false hope for families suffering in the tragedy.
At least 89 people have been killed in the flooding, with over 40 people still missing.