“Just a Baby”: The Story of a 2-Year-Old Arkansas Girl Found Alive Days After Disappearing in Floodwaters
July 11, 2025 – Little Rock, Arkansas
The tragedy of the devastating Texas floods reached deep into Arkansas this week, where a 2-year-old girl from Garland County was found alive and clinging to a broken piece of a roof, three days after being swept away by rushing floodwaters. Her survival is being called nothing short of a miracle — a small light amid so much darkness in the storm’s aftermath.
Her name is Ellie Grace Parker, a bright-eyed toddler with soft blonde curls and a laugh that once filled her family’s small mobile home. That home is now gone — destroyed by flash floods that overwhelmed their quiet neighborhood near Hot Springs late Monday night.
The Night It All Happened
It started as light rain that afternoon. Ellie had been coloring with crayons at the kitchen table while her mother, Carla Parker, folded laundry and her father, James Parker, watched the weather updates nervously.
“I remember the moment it turned from normal to terrifying,” James later recalled. “It was like a switch flipped. Suddenly, it was like a wall of water came at us.”
By 10:45 PM, the Ouachita River had swelled beyond capacity. A nearby levee gave way, unleashing a torrent that roared into their community without warning. Carla grabbed Ellie while James tried to secure the back door. Within moments, the house was flooded waist-deep.
“I held onto Ellie, but the water ripped her from my arms,” Carla sobbed. “I tried—I swear I tried.”
In the chaos, the floodwaters swept Ellie away into the night.
The Search Begins
For three days, local authorities, volunteers, and the National Guard combed the area. Drones, boats, and rescue dogs were deployed. Divers explored the muddy, debris-filled creeks and ditches that had formed around the neighborhood.
The search turned into a media frenzy. People across the country watched updates in disbelief, praying for a miracle while bracing for tragedy.
Many feared the worst.
But then—on the morning of July 10—hope broke through the heartbreak.
“We Got Her!”
At 6:12 AM, a rescue helicopter spotted something unusual floating in a flooded field nearly nine miles from the Parkers’ home: a collapsed piece of tin roof tangled in tree limbs. On top of it was a small figure.
When the helicopter lowered, they saw her—soaking wet, shivering, but alive.
“She was lying there like an angel,” said Sergeant Dana Ruiz, who helped pull her to safety. “When we got close, she lifted her hand and whispered, ‘Mama.’ I lost it.”
Ellie had cuts on her feet, bruises on her arms, and was dehydrated — but incredibly, she had no major injuries. Doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital say her survival was aided by the relatively warm temperatures and the fact that the roof section gave her enough flotation to stay out of the water most of the time.
“She was smart, even at two,” one nurse said. “She stayed still. She held on.”
A Family Reunited
Ellie was reunited with her parents that afternoon in a tearful, emotional moment captured on camera.
Carla dropped to her knees when she saw her daughter. “I thought I lost you,” she cried, holding Ellie to her chest.
James stood behind them, shaking his head in disbelief. “God gave us our girl back,” he whispered.
News of her survival spread like wildfire. Social media lit up with photos of Ellie wrapped in a pink blanket, clutching a juice box and giving a small, sleepy smile.
One post went viral with the caption: “In a week of heartbreak, this is the miracle we all needed.”
Why She Survived
Experts believe a combination of luck, nature, and perhaps divine intervention played a role. The tin roofing that saved her had come from a barn upstream that was torn apart by the flood. It floated, caught in tree branches, and gave Ellie a place to stay relatively dry and visible.
“She must’ve floated for hours, maybe even the entire night,” said Garland County Fire Chief Melvin Ross. “It’s incredible she didn’t fall off, get hypothermia, or worse. That little girl is tough as nails.”
The Bigger Picture
Ellie’s story has become a symbol of resilience. In a week where over 100 lives were lost in Texas and Arkansas due to historic flooding, her survival has sparked a sense of unity and purpose among rescuers and communities alike.
But it also serves as a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of families living in flood-prone areas with aging infrastructure and little warning.
Local officials say the Parker family was not in a formal evacuation zone and had no idea such a flash flood was possible in their area.
“It’s not right,” said Carla. “We didn’t get a siren, no one came. If it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.”
What’s Next for Ellie and Her Family
The Parkers lost everything in the flood—their home, their car, their belongings. But they didn’t lose what mattered most.
Since the rescue, the family has been temporarily housed by a local church, and a GoFundMe campaign launched by neighbors has already raised over $150,000 to help them rebuild.
Little Ellie, for now, is resting. Doctors say she’ll need monitoring for trauma, but she’s in good spirits.
“She likes applesauce and Peppa Pig,” said her mother with a smile. “And she’s already asking when we’re going back home.”
Home, for the Parkers, may take months or years to rebuild. But as Carla put it, “As long as we have her, we can start over.”
