Just before raging floodwaters swept through their riverside home over the July 4th weekend, 21-year-old Joyce Badon sent her family a desperate message: “We’re being washed away.” Then, her phone went silent.

Heavy rains had turned Texas’ Guadalupe River into a deadly force, rising to the height of a two-story building in under an hour. The flash flood swallowed homes and camps, leaving at least 107 people dead across six counties. Dozens remain missing, including children and counselors from a nearby girls’ Christian camp.

Joyce and her three college friends — Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca, and Aiden Heartfield — were staying at a country house by the river when disaster struck. According to Joyce’s father, their last contact was a call between Aiden and his dad. Aiden reportedly said, “I’ve got to help Ella and Reese… they just got washed away.” Moments later, the line went dead — and the house was gone.

Joyce’s mother, Kellye, shared her anguish online, praying her daughter and friends would be found alive. Volunteers and loved ones searched tirelessly. Tragically, Joyce’s body was found on July 7. Her mother later posted a photo of a rainbow, writing: “Joyce Catherine telling us from heaven ‘all is well with my soul.’”

Reese’s body was also found, but Ella and Aiden remain missing. The final text from Joyce now haunts her family — a young life lost too soon in a storm no one saw coming.