Armed with a cane, excursion boots and a lot of faith, Robert Brake Jr. is crossing twisted trees and lots of debris, desperately looking for their parents who have been missing since their cabin crawled on Friday.
A group of search and rescue workers row a boat on the Guadalupe River after mortal floods in Kerr County, Texas, on July 7, 2025.
Sergio Flores/Reuters
A “funeral home was initially established as a morgue,” he said. “We reviewed with them every hour, walking towards them, giving information to my parents, the photos. I hoped to see anything and listen to anything. When you did not, you had an ounce of hope. And you know what? That has been reassuring.”
Joni Kay Brake and Robert Brake Mr., who have three children, five grandchildren and several great -grandchildren, were very active and loved their family, said Brake Jr.
Joni Kay Brake and Robert Brake Mr. are missing in Texas floods.
Robert Brake Jr.
Hope has kept Brake Jr. while navigating the difficult terrain around the Guadalupe River, but on Tuesday, he said he woke up and accepted that his parents will not return.
“The Lord woke me up,” he said. He stood up. He said: ‘Go make a difference. Go to make a difference. People are kind and for whatever this tragedy has done, it is what people closest, really have. And I believe that. “
The crosses hang on a wall with flood marks in Camp MiTIC, after the mortal floods in Kerr County, Texas, on July 7, 2025.
Sergio Flores/Reuters
Brake said that everyone’s support has kept him in this terrible time and will continue to search the river to help other families find their loved ones.
“Devastation is incredible. I can’t describe it or put it in words and family,” he said. “My heart is with the people who were in the river. I can only imagine how fear they were experiencing and the doubt they were experiencing.”
-ABC News’ Jaclyn Lee
