Father swept away after he refused to give up 'babies' while clinging to tree during Texas flood
John Burgess, 39, was found dead after the deluge swept him away from the RV park with his two young boys. Their mother was also take by the floodwaters.
Family members confirmed John's death and recently announced that his wife, Julia Anderson Burgess, 38, was also killed in the floods.
Their two young boys - James, 1, and Jack, 5 - are still missing.
The couple's daughter, Jenna, was staying at a nearby camp that wasn't impacted by the floods. She has been found safe but was left to deal with the tragedy.
Witnesses said the father's haunting last moments were spent clinging to a tree while trying to save his sons.
Lorena Guillen, the owner of the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerr County, told the New York Post that she saw John hold his children before the floods swept them away.
'My husband was in the water trying to ask them, "Please throw me your baby!" The man was holding tight to his babies, and he just got swept away,' Guillen recalled.
Guillen said the family had come to the RV park to celebrate the holiday weekend and the kids were 'so excited' to be there.
She recalled the haunting images she witnessed during the floods, including when she rushed to the riverside to see multiple RVs washed away.
Guillen and her husband awoke in the middle of the night to a rescue team on their property.
'My husband and I ran down. By then, the first level of the RVs was already washing away. The river went up about 10 feet at that time,' the park owner said.
'A family of five was stranded because they were the ones closest to the river. Their RV was floating away. It was pitch black, it was so dark.'
She said emergency responders recovered eight bodies from her property and the neighboring RV park had 40 missing people.
Authorities have issued a massive search and rescue operation since the tragedy, as the death toll has hit over 100 victims.
As officials comb through the rubble for bodies and survivors, dozens of families have been left to grieve the lives lost.
Tributes have already begun to pour in for the Burgesses, as many hold out hope for word on their two young sons.
Michael Schwab, a family member, confirmed the deaths on X.
'These past few days have been devastating for my family as we continue to mourn the loss of John Burgess, and have been praying for Julia Anderson Burgess and their two sweet boys,' he wrote.
'We were deeply saddened to learn this morning that my cousin Julia Anderson Burgess's body has now been found. We continue to pray for their two boys who are still missing at this time.'
Julia was a teacher at Liberty Elementary in Liberty, Texas, a small town of just about 8,000 outside of Houston.
Liberty shared a tribute for Julia writing on social media, 'Our hearts are with the Burgess family -- please continue to pray.'
Mark Linabury, the president and CEO of East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, posted a photo of John cutting a ribbon for his financial services business, and wrote, 'I still find it hard to accept the news about John Burgess.
'We just saw him at our luncheon on Wednesday before the tragic event. As I search through photos, I can't help but notice your amazing smile that could light up any room, and that of your beautiful family.'
Laura Taylor-McGuire, a colleague of Julia's told local CBS affiliate, KWTX-TV, 'They were the sweetest and kindest family and would do anything for anyone.'
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