Who was Reese Manchaca and what happened to her? All about Texas flood victim honored with police escort in Conroe

Claire, aka Reese Manchaca, was a Texas flood victim whom all five constable precincts of Montgomery County honored with a police escort back to Conroe. Mark Keough, the county judge, confirmed Reese’s demise in one of his recent Facebook posts. He also mentioned the police escort in another post on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 

“This morning all 5 constable precincts have sent deputies to Kerrville to escort Reese Manchaca back to Montgomery County so she can be laid to rest.  I want to thank all of our Constables for answering the call and providing some comfort to the family during this difficult time.” 

He continued, 

“My office has been coordinating this with the family and our team.  Please continue to keep the family and friends of Reese in your thoughts and prayers and our deputies as they make the journey home this morning.” 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Conroe ISD (@conroeisd)

For those unaware, Reese Manchaca was a 2022 Caney Creek High School graduate who was enrolled at UTSA Klesse College. The Conroe native was one of the undergraduate architecture students of the San Antonio, Texas-based engineering college. Claire completed her junior year and studied abroad in Urbino, Italy, during the fall of 2024. 

Reese Manchaca’s mother, Miro, is a longtime employee of Conroe Independent School District. She has worked in the District Student Support Services Department and at Caney Creek. 

Reese Manchaca was in the Texas Hill Country with her three friends during the July 4th weekend

Claire “Reese” Manchaca visited Texas Hill Country with Ella Cahill, Joyce Badon and Aidan Heartfield. All four were staying at Heartfield’s family home in Kerr County, which was located near the Guadalupe River. However, during the early hours of Friday, July 4, the region faced flash flooding due to a surge in water levels of the river. 

Reese Manchaca, along with her three friends, was reported missing following the catastrophic floods that impacted Central Texas. Ty Badon, Joyce’s father, told CNN that Aidan had called his family around 4:00 am on July 4. He recounted, 

“It’s been four o’clock, yesterday morning, that we were told that, you know, they were on the phone with Aidan’s dad, who… they own the house where they were.” 

Ty, who was looking for his daughter and her friends, revealed that the house was no longer there. He also added, 

“Aidan said,’ Hey, you know I’ve got to go. I got to help Ella and Reese,’ so he gave the phone to Joyce Catherine. Joyce Catherine said,’ They just got washed away,’ and then a few seconds later, the phone went dead, and that’s all we know.”

Ty told CNN that they presumed his daughter had also been swept away during the call. At the time of the interview, all four were still missing, but the authorities found Reese Manchaca and Joyce Bado on Monday, while Ella Cahill was found on Tuesday. Unfortunately, none of the victims survived. 

Aidan Heartfield, Ella’s boyfriend, has yet to be located, as of this writing.