Baseball Star’s Family Tragedy: Tyler Walker's Desperate Search After Texas Floods
Former MLB Pitcher Tyler Walker Joins Search for Missing Family Swept Away in Texas Floods
Kentfield, CA (July 9, 2025) — Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Walker is in Texas searching for his missing brother, Mark Walker, sister-in-law, and teenage nephew after they were believed to have been swept away during the devastating Fourth of July floods.
The family was staying at their vacation property, affectionately known as the “River House”, near the Guadalupe River, when flash floods surged through the region. Only one member of the family, 16-year-old Ellie Walker, survived. She was away at her longtime summer camp, Waldemar Camp, just miles from the scene of the disaster.
“All we can do is wait and pray for a miracle at this point,” said Kathy Walker, the mother of Tyler and Mark, speaking to the Marin Independent Journal from her home in San Rafael, California.
“In a situation like that, waiting to find out if her dad and mom or brother… it’s just, it’s just dreadful.”
According to family members, Ellie has attended Waldemar Camp every summer for years while her parents and younger brother, 14-year-old Johnny, stayed at their riverside home. The family’s primary residence is in Kentfield, a community north of San Francisco.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a longtime Marin County resident, also acknowledged the tragedy at a press conference on Monday, July 7.
“Mark, his wife, and his 14-year-old son — who was very close with so many kids, including my own son — they’re missing,” Newsom said. “Thankfully, their 16-year-old daughter was found. It’s just another reminder of how devastating this tragedy is, and obviously continues to unfold in excruciating ways. Anyone with kids understands that.”
Search and rescue teams, supported by volunteers and family friends, are continuing their efforts amid the destruction left by the floodwaters. Entire structures were flattened, trees uprooted, and communities left in shock.
As Tyler Walker and his family hold on to hope, they are asking for prayers and support from the public during what they describe as the most painful chapter of their lives.
Former MLB Pitcher Tyler Walker Searches for Missing Family Swept Away in Texas Floods
KENTFIELD, CA (July 9, 2025) — Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Walker is in Texas, leading a desperate search for his missing brother, Mark Walker, sister-in-law, and teenage nephew, who were likely swept away in the devastating Fourth of July floods that tore through the region last weekend.
Mark Walker, 52, had traveled from Kentfield, California, to the family’s vacation property near the Guadalupe River with his wife and two children. Only their 16-year-old daughter, Ellie Walker, survived—she was at Waldemar Camp, just miles away from the family’s vacation home when the disaster struck. She has attended the same camp each summer for years.
Their 14-year-old son, Johnny, along with Mark and his wife, remain missing.
“All we can do is wait and pray for a miracle at this point,” said Kathy Walker, the mother of Tyler and Mark, speaking from her home in San Rafael, California.
“In a situation like that, waiting to find out if her dad and mom or brother… it’s just, it’s just dreadful.”
A Family Rooted in Community and Sports
Both Ellie and Johnny were deeply involved in youth sports in Marin County. Their father, Mark, coached them in T-ball, Little League, and even helped lead the “Bombers” traveling baseball team. According to Kathy, he had “coached them in every sport since they were six.”
Johnny had recently graduated from eighth grade and was preparing to attend Marin Catholic High School in the fall, where he planned to join his sister, Ellie.
“Mark was such a hands-on dad,” Kathy shared. “He was always out there—on the field, encouraging kids, building community. It’s hard to accept this.”
The Moment Everything Changed
Kathy said she had been in regular contact with Mark while he and his family were at their riverside home in Texas. But when the flash flooding hit early on July 4, all communication suddenly stopped.
The family’s vacation home was perched about 20 feet above the river, but it was no match for the force of the storm. “The water came from above, and the river was rising at the same time,” Kathy explained.
“It’s crashed and gone.”
Search Efforts Continue
Tyler Walker is now in Texas, supported by close friends and several of Mark’s lifelong companions who flew in to help. The search conditions are brutal.
“They’re doing what they can to look on the river,” Kathy said. “Tyler told me there’s just so much devastation it’s impossible to comprehend. The debris piles—cars, trees, limbs—everything is piled up.”
Support from the Community
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Marin County resident and family friend, acknowledged the tragedy during a press conference on Monday, July 7.
“Mark, his wife, and his 14-year-old son—who was very close with so many kids, including my own—are missing,” Newsom said.
“Thankfully, their 16-year-old daughter was found. It’s just another reminder of how devastating this tragedy is and continues to unfold in excruciating ways.”
The Walkers are now relying on faith, community support, and the dedicated efforts of rescue teams to bring answers in the coming days.
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