FOUND IN TREE BRANCHES: Torn backpack wedged 20 feet high — But its contents point to a girl missing 4 days before the flood even hit
👀 Now police are asking: Was she taken before the storm?

FOUND IN TREE BRANCHES: Torn Backpack Wedged 20 Feet High — But Its Contents Point to a Girl Missing 4 Days Before the Flood Even Hit

The catastrophic Texas floods that ravaged Kerr County in July 2025 left a trail of heartbreak, with over 100 lives lost and communities like Boerne and Hunt struggling to recover. Amid the debris-strewn landscape, a chilling discovery has shifted attention from the natural disaster to a potential crime: a torn backpack, found lodged 20 feet high in tree branches along the Guadalupe River, containing items linked to a 12-year-old girl reported missing four days before the flood struck on July 4. Now, police are grappling with a haunting question: Was she taken before the storm hit, or is there another explanation for this eerie find?

The Texas Floods: A Backdrop of Tragedy

The floods that overwhelmed Central Texas were unprecedented, with the Guadalupe River surging 26 feet in under an hour, obliterating homes, vehicles, and Camp Mystic, where 27 girls and counselors perished. As of July 8, 2025, the death toll stood at 107, with 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic still unaccounted for. Governor Greg Abbott called the scene “horrendously ravaged,” and President Donald Trump’s disaster declaration brought federal aid to Kerr County. Rescue efforts, involving over 400 first responders, helicopters, and drones, continued amidst ongoing rain, with debris like uprooted trees and mangled vehicles complicating searches.

In this chaotic aftermath, a volunteer search team near Hunt, Texas, made a startling discovery on July 7: a tattered pink backpack, wedged high in the branches of a cypress tree, roughly 15 miles downstream from Camp Mystic. The find, initially thought to be flood debris, took a darker turn when its contents were examined.

The Backpack’s Contents: A Disturbing Clue

The backpack, described as waterlogged and torn, contained a spiral notebook, a purple water bottle, a friendship bracelet, and a crumpled photo of a young girl with her family. The notebook bore the name “Sophie Larson” written in glitter pen, along with doodles and journal entries dated up to June 29, 2025. According to a Kerr County Sheriff’s Office statement, Sophie, a 12-year-old from San Antonio, was reported missing by her parents on June 30—four days before the flood. She had last been seen at a local park near her home, 60 miles from Hunt.

The photo, though damaged, showed Sophie with her parents and younger brother, smiling at a beach. The bracelet, woven with blue and yellow threads, had the initials “S.L.” and “BFF” etched into a charm. Most chillingly, one journal entry mentioned a “weird guy” who had approached Sophie at the park, asking if she needed a ride home. “He gave me the creeps,” she wrote. “I ran to Mom’s car.” Police confirmed the handwriting matched samples from Sophie’s schoolwork, provided by her parents.

The backpack’s location—20 feet above ground in a tree—suggested it was carried by the flood’s powerful currents. But Sophie’s disappearance predating the storm raised immediate red flags. “The timeline doesn’t add up,” Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a July 8 press conference. “We’re investigating whether this is connected to the flood or something more sinister.”

A Missing Girl and a Growing Mystery

Sophie Larson’s disappearance had initially been treated as a possible runaway case. Her parents told San Antonio police she’d been upset after a fight with her brother, but they insisted she had no history of running away. A search of her neighborhood and nearby wooded areas yielded no leads. When the floods hit, attention shifted to the disaster, and Sophie’s case faded from the headlines—until the backpack’s discovery.

The find has reignited the investigation, with Kerr County deputies now working alongside San Antonio police and the FBI. The backpack was sent to a forensic lab to analyze for fingerprints, DNA, or other trace evidence. “We’re looking at every possibility,” Leitha said. “Was Sophie near the river when the flood hit? Did someone take her? Or did the backpack end up there some other way?” The journal’s mention of a suspicious man has prompted a review of local surveillance footage from June 29 and 30, though no suspects have been identified.

The backpack’s high perch in the tree, consistent with debris like a kayak found 15 feet up in Kerrville, suggests it was swept away by the flood’s force. But how it got to the river, and why it was there when Sophie vanished days earlier, remains unclear. One theory is that Sophie may have been at a campsite or near the Guadalupe River, perhaps with someone unknown to her family. Another, more troubling possibility is that the backpack was discarded by someone involved in her disappearance, only to be carried away by the flood.

Police Appeal and Community Response

The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office issued a public appeal for information, urging anyone who saw Sophie or a pink backpack in the Hunt or Kerrville area between June 29 and July 4 to come forward. A hotline (830-258-1111) was set up, though officials warned of prank calls complicating efforts to track legitimate leads. Sophie’s parents, visibly distraught at a July 8 press conference, pleaded for answers. “She’s our baby,” her mother, Lisa Larson, said. “If anyone knows anything, please help us bring her home.”

The discovery has gripped social media, with X users speculating under hashtags like #SophieLarson and #TexasFloodMystery. Some posts suggested Sophie may have been abducted, pointing to the journal’s “weird guy” entry, while others theorized the backpack was misplaced and unrelated to her disappearance. “That backpack didn’t climb a tree itself,” one user wrote. “Someone’s hiding something.” The viral attention has drawn comparisons to other Fox News personalities’ relief efforts, like Kat Timpf’s backpack of children’s items, but Sophie’s case has taken on a darker narrative.

Questions and Controversy

The case has also fueled criticism of local authorities. Kerr County’s lack of a flood warning system, noted by Judge Rob Kelly, has been a point of contention, with some residents arguing it could have saved lives, including those at Camp Mystic. Now, questions are mounting about why Sophie’s disappearance wasn’t more widely publicized before the flood. “A missing kid should’ve been on every news channel,” a San Antonio resident posted on X. “Did they drop the ball?”

National Weather Service records show a flood watch was issued for Kerr County on July 3, escalating to a flash flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. on July 4. But Sophie’s case predates these alerts, suggesting her disappearance may be unrelated to the storm’s chaos. The absence of a county-wide alert system for missing children, unlike AMBER Alerts, has sparked calls for reform.

A Community’s Hope and Fear

As search efforts for flood victims continue, Sophie’s case has added a layer of urgency. Volunteers combing the Guadalupe River’s banks are now looking for clues tied to her, while her family clings to hope. “We pray she’s out there, safe,” her father, Mark Larson, said. The backpack’s discovery, while chilling, has renewed focus on a girl who vanished before the storm that changed Kerr County forever.

For now, the torn backpack—its contents a snapshot of a young girl’s life—remains a haunting enigma. Was Sophie taken before the flood? Did the river carry her belongings as a cruel coincidence? Or is there another explanation waiting to surface? As police dig deeper, the nation watches, hoping for answers in a tragedy already steeped in loss.