2 girls rescued alive while hanging onto tree FALSE

[SARose]

Last edited Mon Jul 7, 2025, 06:57 AM - Edit history (1)

UPDATE 2:47 p.m. CST - In an astonishing development, the Kerr County Lead reported two girls were rescued alive 30 feet above ground hanging onto a tree Sunday in the community of Center Point, about 8 miles west of Comfort along the Guadalupe River.

The girls have not been identified and it's unclear if they are in relation to the missing Camp Mystic campers.

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Earlier report of girls rescued from tree proven false
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: We want to address something important and deeply disappointing. Earlier today, we shared a story about two girls being rescued from a tree. We've since learned that this story is not true.

This has been incredibly difficult for our entire team. We take full responsibility and want to be as transparent and direct as possible.

The initial report came from a man named Cord Shiflet, who was on the ground actively searching for survivors. He shared a live video on his Facebook that two girls had been found alive, 27 feet up in a tree. This information was shared with conviction, and several individuals echoed it, claiming to have first-hand knowledge and reliable sources. Based on that confidence, and the urgency of the situation, we moved forward with publishing the story.
We were wrong. We were misled — and in our hope to believe and share what we thought was a moment of light, we unintentionally spread misinformation.

— John Wells, publisher
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This is sick.

[WarGamer]

1. great news.

[Takket]

2. the held onto those trees for 2 days? Incredible. Those brave girls!!!!!!!!!!

[SARose]

3. Oh my goodness!

This is awesome, indeed! What a miracle.

[Scrivener7]

7. OMG! It's you again! This is satire, right? You're immitating the nut jobs, right? Because this is just

too crazy for ANYONE to talk this way. And it really is hilarious. You should be on Comedy Central with this.

Do more!

[Scrivener7]

9. Sure! Sure! And I'm right behind you! BOO!

Yes, they were murdered. They were murdered by your savior Taco, who is absolutely screwing you so he and his friends can get richer. And he's dismantling all the services in the government that prevents these things from happening. Because that way he can pocket the cost. And you are SO STUPID that you believe every mouth dribble he spits at you, and you smile while he screws you over and over and over.

[uppityperson]

10. Stand up comedy lessons, a Great hobby for you

https://www.secondcity.com/classes/chicago/stand-up/stand-up-1-chi

[niyad]

12. Oh jeez, did I miss our resident troll again???

[Scrivener7]

13. I think this was a new one. He thinks the Texas storm was a false flag operation to take attention

away from Taco's "victory." And he signs himself Q.

You can't make this up, and they walk among us.

[niyad]

14. Oh Dear Goddess, please, a plague for those dreadful people.

Preferably something painful, and fatal. And soon!

[Sparkly]

19. A plague that spares the children, please.

[niyad]

21. Yes, of course.

[niyad]

15. Was going to say, I think I have seen a version of that one before. But, to be

fair, the nuttery is the common denominator.

[marble falls]

16. There's a MAGA failed cantidate for Gubner of Georgia running for Congress who is spouting this shit.

[sop]

27. Crisis actors

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. That is great news

[SARose]

6. Update 2

The rescue provides a rare moment of hope in what has become one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history. Search teams continue looking for 11 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor who remain missing from the flooding.

More than 400 first responders from over 20 agencies are working around the clock along the disaster zone, which extends along a 30-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River.

More

[kimbutgar]

11. I saw pictures of some of the girls and I hope and pray more of survive

I teach kids that age and these girls all looked sweet!

[Sparkly]

20. I taught children the same age as the victims of

the Sandy Hook massacre when that occurred, and even younger; ones that hugged me every day -- such tiny bodies...

It's shocking what our politicians are willing to sacrifice for their priorities.

[carpetbagger]

17. Nope, Lead retracted it. Nt.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. FALSE: The Kerr County Lead reported without checking, and has retracted the report.

https://kerrcountylead.com/the-miraculous-story-of-2-girls-found-turns-out-to-not-so-miraculous/

Editor’s Note: Like everyone, we wanted this story to be true, but it’s a classic tale of misinformation that consumes all of us during a natural disaster. Unfortunately, the story is not true and we are retracting it. — Louis Amestoy, editor of The Kerr County Lead

False reports of two girls being rescued alive from a tree near Center Point spread rapidly Sunday among residents desperate for good news about missing children from the catastrophic Kerr County flooding, prompting officials to caution against unverified information.

The Kerr County Lead was among the first news outlets to report the rescue after receiving numerous messages about the girls, along with social media reports from volunteers exclaiming the rescue. Sheriff Larry Leitha later said the reports were “100% inaccurate.”

The false reports highlight the challenges of information flow during major disasters, when emotions run high and communities desperately seek positive developments amid tragedy. Social media and word-of-mouth can amplify unverified claims, creating false hope for families already enduring unimaginable stress.

[Jack Valentino]

23. UGH. Ok, thanks for the bad news. lol

[live love laugh]

24. "More" at what source? #No Blind links 🔗

[Old Crank]

25. I saw a video of a rescue of a 22 year old woman

who was caught in a tree.
She was 20 miles down stream

[MIButterfly]

26. This is one of the problems with our current media.

In their rush to be "first" with a story, they completely disregard accuracy. Whatever happened to getting the facts first and then reporting it? Bygone days. All that matters is they're the first ones to report the story, whether it's completely true or not.

[newdeal2]

28. Social media is partly to blame

Regular people or trolls/bots want to get the scoop first and post it on X or wherever. There is no fact checking and the stories spread like wildfire.

[MIButterfly]

29. That may well be true, but I'm talking about legitimate news sources.

How many times have I heard "Here's a story you'll hear first on such-and-such station?" They should check for accuracy first.

But you do have a point about social media. The amount of misinformation, speculation and rumor going around on it is astounding.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

31. I was hoping that the original report was true

[SARose]

32. Me, too

Nt