GhLinks Media
The family of a Lewisville couple swept away during the deadly flooding in Kerr County is speaking out, describing a harrowing final phone call and desperate rescue attempt.
Eric Steele confirmed that his brother-in-law, Jeff Ramsey, died after floodwaters rushed through the HTR campground along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville overnight on Friday, where the family was staying.
Ramsey’s body has been recovered, Steele confirmed. Jeff’s wife, Tanya Ramsey, remains missing as of 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Steele said Tanya’s phone was found inside her windbreaker jacket.
The couple had been camping with family members since Thursday. Jeff and Tanya were staying in a separate cabin on the opposite side of the campsite, Steele said.
When the floodwaters rose, it was Jeff who called the rest of the family by phone, waking them up and warning them to evacuate. Steele said without that call, they might not have survived.
“I was trying to get to their cabin, but I didn’t make it,” Steele told revealed. “He saved me and he saved my mom.”
He said he was on the phone with Jeff and Tanya as the situation quickly unfolded. The couple begged for help and told Steele they didn’t think they were going to make it.
“They asked me to tell their kids they love them,” he said.
Steele called the couple “heroes” for saving other members of the family. He described Jeff and Tanya as a deeply loved couple—Tanya had recently beaten cancer.
“They were perfect,” Steele said.
He also said the HTR campgrounds were completely destroyed. “There is nothing there now,” he said.
As the search for Tanya continues, Steele said Jeff leaves behind two children.
