GUT-WRENCHING

Texas Mother Found Dead in Floodwaters With Child Clinging to Her Back

As officials say Harvey’s death toll is now up to 18.

Rescuers in Beaumont, Texas, on Tuesday found the body of a woman who apparently died trying to save her young daughter from drowning in rising floodwaters, authorities said. Haley Morrow, a spokeswoman for the Beaumont Police Department, said the unidentified woman had been traveling with her 3-year-old when her car got stuck in high water and the two got out. They were then swept into a canal, where rescue crews found them floating. “The mother was unresponsive but the child was hanging on her back,” Morrow said. “It’s a true testament to a mother’s will to save a child,” she said. The child was treated for hypothermia. The news came as authorities announced several additional deaths caused by Hurricane Harvey, with the official death toll now at 18. It was not immediately clear if the Beaumont mother was included in that tally.