THE RIVER OAKS GAZETTE
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Two Teen Boys Found in Cedar Hollow Creek After Two-Day Search
RIVER OAKS, TEXAS — The small town of River Oaks was shaken Thursday morning after two teenage boys, reported missing since Tuesday afternoon, were located by search crews in Cedar Hollow Creek, a rocky tributary flowing through the Texas Hill Country into the South Llano River.
According to the River Oaks Sheriff's Office, investigators believe the boys were swept away by fast-moving floodwaters after two consecutive days of heavy rainfall across the region.
The search operation involved more than fifty personnel from the county sheriff's office, local fire departments, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and dozens of community volunteers. Rescue teams searched miles of creek banks using inflatable boats, tracking dogs, and aerial support.
At approximately 8:17 a.m., a volunteer discovered one of the boys unconscious along a shallow section of Cedar Hollow Creek. Emergency responders immediately airlifted him to St. David's Medical Center in Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition.
Just 37 meters (121 feet) downstream, search crews located the second teenager deceased, stranded along the creek bank between large boulders and debris carried by the current.
Authorities have not released the exact cause of the incident. However, preliminary findings suggest the two boys may have attempted to cross the creek after water levels rose dramatically following the recent storms.