Two girls died in a devastating boating incident on a Texas lake. The unidentified children were among 12 people onboard a boat that capsized on June 22, 2025, on Cedar Creek Lake near Dallas. The 10 adults swam to safety, but a 3-year-old girl and 5-year-old girl were reportedly trapped under the capsized boat. Tragically, they drowned.
Per WFFA, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said deputies and Tool Volunteer Fire Department members responded to a call just before 10 p.m. Officials say the overloaded boat lost power on the choppy water. The adults onboard tried to get it back to shore as the vessel began taking on water.
“What I understand is the boat capsized, and when it sank, they were underneath it and couldn’t get free from the boat,” Hillhouse told WFFA.
“It’s tragic when it’s an adult, and when we had the two children, that’s hard on everybody,” he added.
A witness told the news station the weather on Cedar Creek Lake the night of the incident was rough. “It was so bad my daughter and my brother and I had to leave. It was hitting the grass behind us,” they told WFAA.
Fox 4 reported it took several hours, but crews were able to turn the boat upright and recover the girls’ bodies.
“The children being 3 and 5, they’re too young. They don’t have the strength that we have, the lung capacity that we have,” Tool Volunteer Fire Department Lieutenant Randall Newkirk told the station. “And I think that they got sucked into that air pocket under the hull of the boat. Unfortunately, it was a tragedy on that one.”
He said the scene was one of the worst he’d ever seen and he’ll never forget that night. “I’m still taking it in. We definitely went home and hugged our baby tight,” he said. “Situations like this make you realize how precious your babies are to you.”
The incident remains under investigation with police releasing few details.
But the court of public opinion came out in droves and immediately began condemning the adults onboard. The sheriff affirmed the children did have on life jackets but became trapped before drowning.
“Who in their right mind puts 12 people on a 21 foot boat,” someone asked on the WFAA Facebook page.
“Praying for everyone but them children should have had life jackets on to save their life this make no sense at all,” another comment reads. “10 Adults survived and 2 precious children died.”
“I read they were wearing arm floaties. Which is not sufficient Adults probably weren’t wearing life jackets and therefore, couldn’t help the kids,” someone speculated. “Just bad all around. And it was too dang windy to be boating this weekend. The waves were horrible on all the area lakes.”
