Body of missing 22-year-old Aidan Heartfield recovered after deadly Texas Hill Country flooding
HUNT, TEXAS: The search for 22-year-old Aidan Heartfield, missing since the devastating Texas Hill Country floods over the July 4th weekend, has come to a heartbreaking end.
His family confirmed that his body was found, marking the final recovery in a tragedy that has gripped the region and claimed four young lives.
Body of Aidan Heartfield recovered after harrowing week-long search in Texas Hill Country
Aidan was staying with friends at his family’s riverside home in Hunt, Texas, when torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly and overwhelm the area. The floodwaters swept away Aidan along with three of his close friends, Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca, and Joyce Badon. All were later confirmed dead.
Aidan’s father, Thad Heartfield, recounted the moment to 12News that he last heard from his son in the early morning hours of July 5. “Aiden did call me at 4 am to let me know that there was water in the house,” he said. “By the time they got out on the porch, they saw the cars wash away. Unfortunately, they were swept away by the water.”
Volunteers and officials, including Texas troopers working to collect DNA samples from families of the missing, coordinated through a makeshift base of operations affectionately named “Fort Fleming.” From there, the Heartfields and their extended support network organized searches, prayers, and calls for help.
“We’ve been here since the Fourth of July,” he said. “We have successfully recovered the body of three of his friends who were staying at our home. This disaster has ripple effects that are reaching every corner of Texas, and people need help everywhere. Folks are displaced from their homes and need support.”
Heartfield described Aidan as the youngest of his children and “a very kind and gentle soul.”
Death toll from devastating Texas floods rises to 129
Kerr County is now facing a storm of criticism over its failed emergency response to the July 4th flood disaster that has killed at least 129 people and left more than 160 still missing.
According to The Washington Post, local authorities in Kerr County failed to activate a public mobile alert system that could have warned residents of the fast-approaching catastrophe. The system, which costs nothing to operate and can instantly send loud alerts to every mobile device in an area, was passed over as the Guadalupe River surged to historic levels, wiping out entire campsites, homes, and families.
Officials had previously opted for this text-based system instead of funding a more traditional and costly siren network, a decision that is now drawing scrutiny from residents, lawmakers, and survivors alike.
The camp, nestled along the Guadalupe River, became the epicenter of tragedy as walls of water overwhelmed cabins and swept many into the flood. Survivors described narrow escapes, with some clinging to trees for hours until help arrived.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Kerrville on Friday to survey the destruction and meet with first responders.
Trump praised the bravery of local rescue teams and pledged federal assistance, but made no direct mention of the alert system failures or FEMA’s flood map controversy.
Melania offered condolences at a roundtable discussion and spoke publicly alongside her husband, saying, “Our nation is grieving with you.”
