In a tragedy that has shaken the heart of Texas, 8-year-old Ava Reynolds is the sole survivor of a flash flood that claimed the lives of her parents, Mark and Lila Reynolds, during the catastrophic Hill Country flooding last weekend.
The Reynolds family had been driving home from church outside Liberty Hill when their vehicle was swept away by a sudden surge of floodwaters. First responders arrived within minutes — but by then, the current had already torn the car apart. Miraculously, little Ava was found clinging to a broken fence post more than half a mile downstream, her arms scraped and her eyes wide with shock.
“She kept whispering, ‘I didn’t want to let go of them,’” said Deputy Brian Keller, one of the first on the scene. “She had wrapped her arm around that post like it was the last piece of home.”
Ava was rushed to the hospital in Burnet, where she is now in stable condition. But the emotional wounds will take far longer to heal.
What’s been most powerful in the days since is the way the Liberty Hill community has rallied around her. Neighbors, teachers, church members — even total strangers — have shown up with meals, clothes, and handmade cards. A local couple has offered to take Ava in temporarily, and a GoFundMe campaign has already raised over $250,000 in less than 48 hours.
“We’ve lost two beautiful people,” said Pastor James Turner of Liberty Hill Chapel, who baptized Ava when she was just a toddler. “But we will not lose this child to grief. Not on our watch.”
Those who knew the Reynolds family say they were known for their kindness, faith, and love of music. Mark played guitar in the church band; Lila taught Sunday school. Ava often sang beside them on Sunday mornings — her favorite song was “Jesus Loves Me.”
And this Sunday, even through the heartbreak, Ava will sing again.
“She wants to sing for them,” said her grandmother. “She said, ‘If they can’t come back, I’ll sing loud enough so they can still hear me in heaven.’”
It’s the kind of courage that silences a room.
In a time of overwhelming loss, Ava Reynolds is showing the world what it means to be brave, to hold on to faith when everything else is swept away. And thanks to the love of a small Texas town, she won’t face this road alone.
Because in Liberty Hill, no child grieves without a hand to hold — and no heartbreak goes unanswered.